US shutdown not creating significant flight disruptions, IATA’s chief says

The U.S. government shutdown hasn't significantly disrupted domestic commercial flights nor has it stopped the recruitment of new air traffic controllers, Willie Walsh, director general of airline lobby group IATA said on Wednesday.

"There were no significant impacts to date. I would say there wasn't any major damage," Walsh said at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon.

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that staffing issues were causing delays at several airports, including Newark and Denver. During a 35-day shutdown in 2019 the FAA was forced to slow air traffic in New York, which put pressure on lawmakers to quickly end the standoff.

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers are set to miss their first paycheck on October 14 but must still turn up for work during the shutdown despite not being paid, along with about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers. 

One positive from the shutdown was that it hasn't stopped the recruitment of new air traffic controllers, Walsh said. 

"That's a significant change from past events and a very positive development. So hopefully we'll see this issue resolved quickly," he said.

On a global scale IATA continues to see strong demand from passengers and for cargo, he said.

It forecasts passenger traffic growth to decelerate to 5.8% year-on-year in 2025, from 10.6% in 2024. Year-to-date it was 5%.