FAA Temporarily Halts Some Flights into LaGuardia, Citing Shutdown, Staff Shortages

Update — 10:45 a.m. EST: The FAA will allow flights into New York City’s LaGuardia Airport after issuing a halt earlier Friday morning. Read Breitbart News Network’s original report below. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday halted flights into New York City’s LaGuardia airport amid air traffic control staffing shortages, according to reports.

The development comes after airline officials warned the partial government shutdown is causing great strain the U.S. aviation system.

Flight delays have been reported at several major East Coast airports, including Newark Liberty International, Philadelphia International, and Reagan National in Washington, D.C.

The FAA told NBC News that the delays are caused by staffing issues at two air traffic control facilities impacting New York and Florida and said it is “augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft as needed.”

However, a spokesperson for the FAA said Thursday that the agency had seen “no unusual increased absenteeism and there are no operational disruptions due to staffing.”

In a statement, the White House said President Trump has been briefed on the air travel issues and are “monitoring the ongoing delays at some airports. We are in regular contact with officials at the Dept. of Transportation and the FAA.”