Exhausted, unpaid air traffic controllers warn of danger during government shutdown: ‘We’re drowning’

This situation can’t fly.

The safety of every American plane passenger is being imperiled as the government shutdown drags into its second week, irate air traffic controllers say.

More than 14,000 controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration won’t be paid until the shutdown ends — and the stress is impacting their ability to avert aviation catastrophes.

Two controllers who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity described a situation that is becoming more dangerous by the day, telling travelers to take heed.

“The financial anxiety doesn’t just hurt morale; it directly affects safety,” one controller, based in South Carolina, declared. “When someone responsible for thousands of lives a day is worrying about whether they can pay rent or feed their kids, focus suffers. Sometimes that small moment where your mind is elsewhere can have serious impacts.”

Air traffic control has already been in the spotlight this year, following the January plane and helicopter collision that killed 67 people in Washington, DC, as well as the thousands of radar and communications outages that have spooked officials, lawmakers and passengers.

“Controllers were already underwater with pay and staffing before the shutdown,” they added. “Now we’re drowning.”

A second controller, working in California, warned: “The shutdown is affecting every single person traveling in the United States at this time. More stress equals more risk; that’s just basic common sense.”

Since the shutdown went into effect on Oct. 1, plane passengers have faced lengthy delays at airports as unpaid workers call out sick. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said some air traffic control towers have seen a shocking 50% reduction in staffing.

On Monday, Hollywood Burbank Airport, outside of Los Angeles, was without an air traffic controller in its tower for more than five hours due to staffing issues. Meanwhile, travel chaos erupted at Nashville airport on Tuesday after a shortage of air traffic controllers caused almost 300 planes to be delayed.

Overtime exhaustion

Those who are showing up for work are clocking obscene amounts of overtime — meaning they’re exhausted while performing a job that requires constant concentration and the ability to make quick decisions with life-or-death consequences.

“I’ve logged 185 hours of overtime [this year],” the California controller confessed. “Last year, I exceeded 400 hours, but the toll on my mental and physical health led me to scale back this year.

“What passengers often forget is that the person guiding their plane through the sky is human: underpaid, overworked, fatigued, and carrying immense responsibility,” he added. “Beyond the control room, the exhaustion continues — recovering from 60-hour workweeks leaves little time for exercise, chores or family.”

Making things worse: those who rely on overtime fear they’ll never be compensated for it once the shutdown ends.

“During the 2018–2019 government shutdown, controllers had to sue for overtime pay we never received,” the controller said, claiming, “Only now, six years later, are some of those settlement checks finally arriving.”

Living paycheck to paycheck

Aside from the overtime uncertainty, Transportation Secretary Duffy says the pay delays prompted by the shutdown have some air traffic controllers wondering whether to pick up a second job to make ends meet.

“Now, what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, ‘How am I going to pay my mortgage?’ … Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful?’” Duffy said at a news conference on Monday.

But according to the controllers who spoke with The Post, many in the industry have been working second jobs for a long time.

“The shutdown didn’t create the problem; it magnified one that’s been growing for years,” the South Carolina controller asserted. “Most controllers outside the largest facilities are living paycheck to paycheck. Many have taken second jobs or side hustles that distract them at work just to cover rising costs.”

The father-of-three — who has worked with the FAA for more than a decade — admitted that he had also taken on additional work to supplement his income and provide for his family.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for an air traffic controller is $144,580 per year. The South Carolina controller makes less than that and said those “at smaller facilities make under $95,000, which is barely middle class in most cities today.”

With the shutdown showing no signs of ending, the situation is looking dire. FAA employees are scheduled to receive a partial paycheck on Oct. 14 and a “zero” paycheck — or none — Oct. 28.

While the situation may prompt the public to reconsider air travel until the government reopens, the controllers insist they’re doing everything they can to keep fliers out of harm’s way.

“The only reason the system still functions is because the people on the mic refuse to fail,” the South Carolina controller said. “But that commitment comes at a personal cost to our mental and physical health that keeps getting higher.

“We meet the standard every day, but that’s not the bar we should be shooting for,” the California controller concurred. “No one should have to live this way.”