How could flights be affected by a government shutdown?

Hiring and training of air traffic controllers would be halted in a shutdown. Some federal employees work without pay or are furloughed under shutdown rules. If Congress fails to pass a funding bill, airline officials say flights could suffer delays and reduced capacity under a government shutdown. In the 35-day partial shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term, about 340,000 of the 800,000 affected federal employees were furloughed, while the rest were required to work without pay. Major U.S. airlines and their trade group, Airlines for America, have cautioned that a partial federal shutdown could "strain aviation and slow flights," according to a report from Reuters.