Duffy warns of ‘mass chaos’ in skies if shutdown drags on

America’s skies could be heading for gridlock next week if the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Tuesday.

The shutdown has now stretched into its 35th day, matching the longest in US history, and frustration inside the aviation system is starting to boil. Delays have already stacked up across major airports as the Federal Aviation Administration slows traffic to cope with thin staffing.

“Many of the controllers said, ‘A lot of us can navigate missing one paycheck. Not everybody, but a lot of us can. None of us can manage missing two paychecks,’” Duffy said. “So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it.”

Air traffic controllers, nearly 13,000 nationwide, have been working without pay since October 1. They missed their first paycheck on October 28, and their next is due November 11. The union representing them says fatigue and financial strain are mounting fast.

Last weekend, Newark Liberty International Airport saw some of the worst bottlenecks, with flights delayed for hours. Just 56 percent of Newark’s departures left on time Sunday, compared to Orlando’s 70 percent, according to Cirium data. Nationwide, FlightAware logged nearly 2,000 delays as of Tuesday.

The FAA admitted staffing shortages forced it to slow departures in Phoenix on Tuesday morning, while strong winds added to the mess in Newark and LaGuardia.

So far, the overall number of delays hasn’t crashed through normal weather-related averages. But that could change fast if controllers start walking off the job or can’t afford to show up. As Duffy put it, “We may see parts of the airspace close.”

Translation: if Washington doesn’t sort this out soon, America’s flight map could start looking like Swiss cheese.