No air traffic control delays occurring at Las Vegas airport

While airports around the country struggle with growing short-staffing problems in their air traffic control towers, Las Vegas appears to be holding its own.

Officials at Harry Reid International Airport reported no flight delays attributable to air traffic control personnel problems Thursday and Friday.

“While we are anticipating a busy weekend, all of our federal partners remain operational at (Reid),” an airport spokeswoman said in a Friday email. “We will continue to monitor the situation. Travelers are encouraged to check their flight status directly with their airline, as other airports across the country may experience delays or impacts related to the shutdown. If conditions at (Reid) change, we’ll provide an update.”

Flight Aware, which tracks flight movements across the United States, indicates Reid has suffered no major delays as a result of traffic, weather or other operations.

Bloomberg on Friday reported a growing number of short-staffed air traffic control towers leading up to what for some is a three-day holiday weekend observing Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will not have the normal number of staff in its control tower from 6-10 p.m., but it is already experiencing departure delays due to staffing shortages in the facility that operates the surrounding airspace, Bloomberg reported.

Two separate parts of the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center that manages flights over a large portion of the Southwest was understaffed until noon.

Bloomberg said the reasons for the short staffing are not clear, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday a “small fraction” of controllers were “lashing out” because of the government shutdown and not going to work.

Air traffic controllers, along with Transportation Security Administration officers, are considered essential employees and have to work during the shutdown, despite not being currently paid.

Earlier in the week, there were no delays in security lanes at Reid terminals.

Twelve FAA facilities saw staffing shortages Thursday, including airport towers, approach controls which handle arriving and departing flights as well as centers that handle flights en route.

This busy holiday weekend travelers are being warned they could see delays and cancellations from the government shutdown at the airports.

“It is safe to fly, but ATC staffing shortages strain the system and cause flights to be spaced out, slowing down everything. In some cases, flights may be delayed or even cancelled,” Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said in a statement.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X