The city of Denver has requested a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to pay air traffic controllers in an effort to avoid flight reductions at the nation’s third-busiest U.S. airport.
Denver International Airport is set to be affected by the FAA’s plan to reduce flight capacity by 10% at 40 major airports amid staffing shortages during the government shutdown.
The cuts are being phased in, with about 4% Friday, 6% Sunday, and up to 10% next week if the shutdown persists.
Senate Democrats have been blocking passage of a House-passed clean continuing resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21.
“The Denver airport is maybe the largest economic driver in the Rocky Mountain West,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, told Politico.
“It is critical to not just our quality of life, but to our economic health.”
The airport, which is overseen by the city, requested a waiver from the FAA on Wednesday to pay staff but has not received a response.
The government shutdown, which enters its 38th day Friday, has strained the FAA as air traffic controllers have gone almost five weeks without pay.
Many are either not reporting for work or have taken second jobs to make ends meet.
“Our priority is to make sure that you’re safe, and so we’re going to talk about additional measures that we are going to take that are going to reduce the risk profile in the national airspace,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Wednesday news conference.
“I anticipate there will be additional disruptions. There’ll be frustration.
“We are working with the airlines. They’re going to work with passengers,” he said.
“But in the end, our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible.”
Denver said it expects to be reimbursed when the shutdown ends if its waiver is approved, but there’s a risk the FAA could still require capacity reductions even if Denver is allowed to pay employees.
“We understand there’s some risk,” Johnston said.
“We think the greatest risks of all are shutting down the economy by stopping air travel, which is a major economic driver for us.”
Denver’s airport served more than 82 million passengers in 2024, according to the Airports Council International, third behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Tourism is a major component of the state’s economy, contributing $28.5 billion in 2024 and employing more than 188,000 people, according to data from the state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Newsmax reached out to the FAA for comment.
An automated email reply from the FAA said it was not responding to routine media inquiries because of a lapse in funding but included a statement: “As Secretary Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system.
“When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations.”
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