Orlando Airport narrowly avoids crisis as landings almost cancelled due to US government shutdown
Commuters were seen sleeping on the airport floor and check-out lines were empty while air traffic staff were rushed in to help.
One of America's most popular airports came close to cancelling all arrivals after the government shutdown left them bereft of air traffic controllers.
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Passengers at Orlando Airport were left in limbo after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Thursday evening that landings would be stopped because there was "no certified controllers for a period of time".
The order was reversed when enough staff were found, but flights in and out of the travel hub - home of Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks - faced delays of up to 90 minutes.
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Commuters were seen sleeping on the airport floor and check-out lines were empty while air traffic staff were rushed in to help.
Delays were also seen at Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington DC airports.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, nearly 6,000 flights had been delayed and 1,100 cancelled nationwide on Thursday.
The meltdown comes as more than 13,000 air traffic controllers have been required to work without pay since the US government shutdown began on October 1.
In response, many are taking second jobs to survive, while the numbers calling in sick have soared.
A shutdown occurs in the US when Congress fails to agree on funding legislation to finance the federal government before the next fiscal year begins.
If the October 1 deadline is missed, parts of the government run out of money, leading to hundreds of thousands of federal workers - such as military personnel, Secret Service agents and air traffic controllers - being furloughed or required to work for no pay.
Political differences over how the money should be distributed is usually to blame for the shutdown.
In 2018, there was a 35-day shutdown caused by a dispute over Donald Trump's expand barriers on the US-Mexico border.
This time, a bill that would make health insurance cheaper for millions of Americans is dividing Republicans and Democrats.
The bill also calls for a reversal to Mr Trump's cuts to Medicaid, a programme designed to provide cheaper healthcare for the disadvantaged or those on low incomes.
The FAA says it is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.
The shortages are behind 44 per cent of flight delays on Sunday and 24 per cent on Monday, US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said.
In comparison, that figure was closer to 5 per cent before the shutdown.