(MENAFN) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cautioned Friday that flight operations across the United States could be cut by as much as 20% if the ongoing government shutdown continues, noting that an initial 10% reduction will begin in the coming week, according to reports.

"We are going to implement a 10% reduction in flights over the course of the next week. And again, that is from the data that we see from our safety team at the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)," Duffy said.

He explained that widespread staffing shortages are fueling increased delays. "What that means is air traffic controllers are calling in sick. That happens in different parts of the country. As that happens, you'll also see additional delays throughout the American airspace," he said.

The secretary attributed the shortages directly to the shutdown, emphasizing that unpaid air traffic controllers are being forced to find temporary work to make ends meet. “The problem we really have is air traffic controllers aren't being paid, and they're being forced to take secondary jobs again, whether it's waiting tables or driving Uber instead of coming to towers and doing their day jobs," Duffy added.

He warned that if the shutdown persists, more severe disruptions may follow. "If this shutdown doesn't end relatively soon, the consequence of that is going to be more controllers don't come to work. And then we're going to have to continue to assess the pressure in the airspace and make decisions that may, again, move us from 10% to 15% maybe to 20."

Calling for an urgent resolution, Duffy appealed to lawmakers to end the political impasse. "Let's end the shutdown, and let Congress debate their issues. But let's not hold the American people hostage and air travelers hostage by the shutdown that's gone on to a historic level right now," he said.

Even if the shutdown were to end immediately, Duffy noted, normal operations would not resume right away. "It can be, you know, days, if not a week, before we get back to full force flights, when the shutdown ends," he said.

The shutdown, which started on Oct. 1, has halted pay for thousands of federal employees, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff, who continue to work without compensation.

Now in its 38th day, the shutdown has become the longest in U.S. history, with lawmakers in the Senate still at an impasse over measures to restore funding to closed federal agencies. The previous record of 35 days, set during Trump’s first term from December 2018 to January 2019, was surpassed earlier this week after the Senate rejected a House-approved funding bill for the 14th time.

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