Flights into and out of Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) were delayed this afternoon after staffing shortages of air traffic controllers forced the tower to go unmanned.
Burbank ATC Tower Will be Unmanned for Roughly Six Hours
The tower at the Los Angeles area airport, which is an operating base for Avelo Airlines and JSX, is expected to be unmanned for roughly six hours. According to Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Kristen Alsop, the tower will be unstaffed between 4:15p and 10:00p local time.
Though the tower is unmanned, flights are still able to arrive and depart from the airport. Southern California TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) will be responsible for traffic in the airport’s airspace while the tower is unmanned.
Southern California TRACON is located in San Diego and is the busiest approach control facility in the United States. It serves major airports like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) along with multiple midsize airports in the region.
According to FlightAware, at the time of publication, departing flights are currently experiencing delays averaging 48 minutes (and Increasing) while arriving flights are delayed an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes.
Air Traffic Controllers are Working Without Pay as a Result of the Government Shutdown
Today marks the sixth day of the Federal Government shutdown which is causing the roughly 13,000 Air Traffic Controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents to work without pay. This is leading to an increase in workers calling out sick.
Staffing shortages have also caused delays at Denver International Airport (DEN) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) as the airports don’t have enough controllers on duty to adequately operate.
It’s worth noting that the last government shutdown, in 2018, ended after thirty five days in large part due to the fact that air traffic controllers, who had been working for over a month without pay, began calling in sick in large numbers, crippling the country’s aviation system.
Summary
The control tower at Hollywood Burbank Airport will be unmanned for roughly six hours Monday evening due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Flights have been delayed significantly but continue to operate with support from Southern California TRACON. Air traffic controllers and TSA Agents are currently working without pay due to the government shutdown.