

It’s widely known that more than half of all U.S. But another major cause of delays is shortages of air traffic controllers.
#Known atc delays full
Summer weather is always full of thunderstorms, which lead to flight delays, re-routings, and sometimes cancellations. Airlines and airports are still struggling to cope with this rapid growth. airports has more than doubled since 2021. In August, Airports Council International-North America reported that domestic air passenger traffic this year is 26% higher than in 2021, and international traffic at U.S. Department of Transportation data show that in May 2023, domestic and international air travel set new records for that month. There is still a serious shortage of airline pilots. Many had to spend significant time on flight simulators to get requalified to fly.

Pilots, in particular, could not just go back on duty after six, nine, or 12 months without flying. So when travel demand began recovering in 2021 and especially 2022, most airlines were seriously short of flight crew members. airlines downsized their workforces, offering generous buy-outs to experienced pilots and other flight crew members. In 2020, Congress provided large-scale grants and loans to passenger airlines, aiming to preserve airline jobs so the airlines would be ready when growth resumed. To be sure, several airlines have had meltdowns this year, but federal policies-set largely by Congress-have played a key role in these air travel problems. But the bad news is that the aviation system is having trouble coping with surging demand. air travel has fully recovered from its near collapse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
