NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Nashville International Airport Tuesday to meet directly with air traffic controllers who are working without paychecks during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
"They have childcare, they have electric bills, gas bills, they have to put food on the table. So the bills don't stop when the government doesn't pay them. And I think the stress for them is real," Duffy said, in an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5.
The visit marked the first day that air traffic controllers didn't receive a full paycheck during this government shutdown. Nashville's control tower has been particularly affected by staffing shortage, well before the current impasse over reopening the federal goverment.
Staffing crisis compounds shutdown stress
Last Thursday, the stress was audible in air traffic controllers' voices as they managed Nashville's busy airspace. "It's going to be one of those days today," one controller said in audio recordings obtained on LiveATC.net.
"We're about to have a big arrival push and we've got no staffing," another added.
It was one of three days this month that flights in or out of Nashville had to be delayed or canceled because of staffing issues in the Nashville tower. Some controllers are working six days a week to make up for the shortage.
"It was great to hear from them and hear their frustrations," Duffy said after meeting with the controllers. "The fact they're not getting paid is really frustrating to them. I think they don't play politics, they want the government open, they want to get their paychecks and they want to go back to doing their work."
Airport expansion adds urgency
The staffing challenges come as Nashville International Airport plans massive expansion over the next decade. The airport unveiled plans earlier this week that they intend to build a second terminal with five additional concourses to keep up with surging passenger demand.
We asked Secretary Duffy, with so much growth, when does Nashville get more controllers in the tower?
"Are you asking when do I care about Nashville, is that the question?" Duffy replied. " Listen, we’ve heard the concerns of Nashville very well, and we’re going to have an announcement very soon, we’re going to bring more controllers in."
However, Secretary Duffy warned that, with a shortage of 2,000-3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide, this won't be solved quickly. "The problem is, I can’t snap my fingers and have controllers here working the airspace," he explained. "Even If I take a controller from LAX or another big facility, they have to be trained up on this specific airspace. So it can take a year, two years to train up a new controller for this air space."
Recruitment and retention efforts
In the meantime, Duffy is offering 20% bonuses for existing controllers to work beyond their retirement date while recruiting the next generation. "We're going through the processing much quicker to get them seats in the academy and we're expanding the capacity of the academy," Duffy said.
Despite the challenging circumstances, Duffy praised the controllers' dedication during the shutdown. "I've asked them to come to work. It's their job to come to work to make sure the airspace still functions in really difficult times. And the way they have responded to that request has really been fantastic," he said.
Duffy said he expects controllers to show up for work unless they're too sick or exhausted to perform their duties safely.
Not becoming the distraction
A key component of working as a air traffic controller is to avoid distractions. So we asked Secretary Duffy if being up in the tower with the controllers, while they are on the clock, is a distraction itself? "That’s a really good question," he replied. "I’ll go meet with controllers who are on break, down in the conference room, first. But I'll go to the tower and I see their rhythm, they can take a moment, they can say hi, they can give me a perspective."
Duffy also claims he told all of the employees ahead of time, dispatching and landing planes take priority over anything he had to say to them.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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