By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday the Trump administration would shutter the U.S. aviation system if he thought an ongoing government shutdown was making it too risky to travel.

“If we thought that it was unsafe… we’ll shut the whole airspace down. We won’t let people travel. We’re not there at this point. It’s just significant delays,” Duffy told CNBC, adding “absolutely there’s more risk” during the ongoing shutdown.

United CEO Scott Kirby said last week the ongoing shutdown was impacting flight bookings and airlines are concerned about the looming start of the holiday travel season.

The shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay and snarled t

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