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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work unpaid during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, leading terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to secure an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said travel would be delayed due to a lack of employees - one of the highest since the closure began.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second most extended halt in history.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the United States, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers.

"I require my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned passengers in the state to consult airlines about updated departure times.

The issue precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It led several flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.