Simple Flying
Jake Hardiman
10 November 2025
The desperate situation is understandably taking a heavy toll on air traffic controllers in the United States of America. In a press conference earlier today, Nick Daniels, who serves as the President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association trade union, said that, last week alone, more than 1,600 members submitted handwritten letters concerning their current hardships. As such, they are urging the government to end the shutdown.
While the shutdown has highlighted frailties in the US ATC system, the truth is that this issue hasn't sprung up overnight. Instead, as Daniels notes, NATCA has been seeking additional controllers for over a decade.
