5 Missing Air Traffic Controllers Delay Flights At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Operations at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) returned to normal Sunday evening after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put an air traffic control (ATC) staffing shortage mitigation program into effect. The move delayed several flights and was reportedly implemented without notice, catching the attention of a Texas US representative.
The airport suffered from nearly 120 flight impacts on Sunday, but delays reportedly lasted only about half an hour. Austin is not the only area to have been impacted by ATC staffing issues, as similar complications affected hundreds of flights around the New York metropolitan area last week.
“Some arriving flights to be delayed”
According to Austin local NBC affiliate KXAN, the delays at Austin–Bergstrom began around 15:30 on Sunday. Simple Flying contacted the FAA for a statement, but did not receive a response. However, in a statement obtained by KXAN, the agency confirmed that arriving flights were impacted due to a “Traffic Management Program” that had been implemented.
“Due to staffing, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, TX (AUS). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 36 minutes.”
Inside the numbers
As of late Sunday, FlightAware data showed that 119 flights were impacted – 117 delayed and only two canceled. Southwest Airlines suffered the most, with 60 delays, which accounted for nearly 25% of its operation at the airport. American Airlines was second with 23 delays, nearly 30% of its operation. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines recorded eight delays each, while Frontier Airlines and Alaska Airlines both had five.
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SkyWest Airlines, which operates regional flights under the Delta Connection and United Express brands, had six delays. It also suffered from two cancelations, which were Delta-branded flights to and from McAllen, Texas. Ultra-low-cost-carrier Allegiant Air recorded only two delays.
“We have a serious problem here”
Lloyd Doggett is an Austin-based US representative. The politician slammed the FAA for not informing Austin–Bergstrom that it would put the traffic management program in effect, according to KXAN.
“I think this is a real failure by the Federal Aviation Administrator to address the safety concerns we have here today. “The FAA made this delay in flights departing without even notifying the Austin airport. That is unacceptable, and we have a serious problem here.”
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Doggett has reportedly urged the FAA to address the staffing complications at Austin–Bergstrom before. The representative said 13 controllers were supposed to be on staff Sunday afternoon, but only eight controllers were present, with no supervisors accompanying them.
“This is a really serious matter today. It causes inconvenience. It may mean that people miss their connection, but the bigger problem is the safety problem if we don’t have adequate air traffic controllers,” Doggett stated further. “We need a significant increase in controllers at the airport. Not by this time next year, when we may have had additional near misses or a disaster, but we need it soon. We need it prioritized.”
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Austin–Bergstrom was at the center of the headlines last year when a Southwest Boeing 737-700 and a FedEx 767-300 freighter came within 150 feet of each other. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the cause of the near miss was an air traffic controller’s incorrect assumptions.
Texas’ Department of Aviation reportedly has a plan to address ATC vacancy issues. However, the details of the plan are not clear. A spokesperson from the department told KXAN that staffing challenges have resulted in aviation becoming “increasingly reliant on third-party contractors to deliver airport services.”
Photo: lorenzatx | Shutterstock
The FAA has been working to mitigate ATC-related flight impacts, specifically in the Northeast. Earlier this year, the agency forced controllers to move from Newark’s airspace to Philadelphia. Staffing shortages have unfortunately caused some controllers to be overworked and burned out. In September, Simple Flying learned that some controllers in New York made more than FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker’s salary of $183,100 due to working overtime hours.