Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Airlines, speaking on CNBC’s Power Lunch on December 17, 2024.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC
Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC that the carrier’s operations are running smoothly despite the federal government shutdown, but if it lasts another 10 days, that could change.
More than 13,000 U.S. flights have been delayed this week, some of them due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, raising concerns about strains on the country’s aviation industry during the shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration is seeing a “slight increase” in illness calls from air traffic controllers.
Bastian also said the closure exacerbates concerns about pressure on air traffic controllers, the shortage of which has irritated airline executives for years. Because of the shutdown, thousands of federal employees, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers at airports, are working without pay.
Delta’s CEO said in an interview that the airline has seen “no impact” so far since the shutdown, but called for a quick resolution. A more than month-long government shutdown between late 2018 and early 2019 ended hours after a surge in sick calls from air traffic controllers hampered travel in the New York area.
“I would say if this isn’t resolved, say beyond ten days or so, you’ll probably start to see impacts,” Bastian said in an interview Thursday with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
A perpetual shortage of air traffic controllers has vexed U.S. airline executives for years, and the FAA has rushed to increase hiring.
Delta reported better-than-expected third-quarter results on Thursday and forecast a more profitable end to the year than analysts expected.