Washington (CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is again reporting short staffing at air traffic control operations as the government shutdown enters its eighth day.
On Wednesday morning, the facility that handles flights approaching and departing Newark Liberty International Airport was short-staffed for two hours, starting at 7 a.m. local time.
It is the only facility to report a so-called “staffing trigger” for the morning shift, according to a publicly available FAA operations plan.
The cause of the staffing problem was not immediately known, but the Department of Transportation reported an increase in sick calls by air traffic controllers since the start of the shutdown.
Short staffing does not always mean delays. There are a variety of things the FAA can do to manage airs