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Aviation Groups Warn of Government Shutdown Impact

September 29, 2025 

The Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader
U.S. Senate  
Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives 
Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader
U.S. Senate 
Washington, DC 20510 

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives 
Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Leader Thune, Speaker Johnson, Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries: 

A unified aviation community writes to respectfully urge you to take immediate action to avoid a  government shutdown on October 1. Government shutdowns harm the U.S. economy and degrade the  redundancies and margins of safety that our National Airspace System (NAS) is built upon. In fact, short term shutdowns of just a few days, or even threatened shutdowns that are averted in the eleventh hour, negatively affect the NAS and the traveling public.  

The NAS moves over 45,000 flights, 2.9 million passengers and 59,000 tons of cargo every day across  more than 29 million square miles of airspace. It is the safest, most efficient, and most complex system in  the world. 

Earlier this year, our community established the Modern Skies Coalition to wholeheartedly endorse  Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s plans to “supercharge” air traffic controller hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and modernize the air traffic control system. The Coalition  also highlighted the need for funding reforms to avoid future FAA shutdowns. We strongly supported  Congress’s $12.5 billion downpayment toward air traffic control modernization, and we continue to  advocate in support of Secretary Duffy’s acknowledgment that additional funding of at least $19 billion will  be needed to completely build a new air traffic control system. A government shutdown at this stage  would jeopardize the important progress that we all have made on these efforts thus far.

Shutdowns are extremely detrimental to the passengers and shippers as well as the aviation community  because they force the FAA to, among other things, suspend air traffic controller and technician hiring  and training, delay the implementation of safety initiatives, postpone maintenance and repair work to  critical air traffic equipment, suspend air carrier pilot check rides, delay airworthy inspections for aircraft,  defer the analysis of voluntary safety reporting, and suspend work on modernization programs. During a  shutdown, many FAA employees are furloughed, meaning that they cannot perform their duties that  support aviation safety, aircraft certification, and the integration of new entrants—which limits U.S.  innovation in aerospace. Additionally, infrastructure programs related to modernization are suspended,  such as the construction of new facilities, upgrading of runways and installation of new equipment. The  ensuing backlogs cause cascading delays in these critical FAA services long after funding is restored. 

Although air traffic controllers, technicians, and other exempted aviation safety professionals continue to  work without pay during a shutdown, many other FAA employees who support them are furloughed. To  maintain our position as the world leader in aviation, we must always strive to improve safety and efficiency and continuously work further to mitigate risk. The air traffic controller and technician staffing  shortage continues to be a critical problem, and a shutdown would make this problem worse by delaying  an already-lengthy hiring and training process. During previous shutdowns, the FAA was required to  suspend all hiring and close its training academy in Oklahoma City, which takes additional time to restart  after a shutdown ends. 

Furthermore, shutdowns are both costly and harmful to our economy. The aviation industry in the U.S.  contributes more than 5 percent to the gross domestic product, accounting for $1.37 trillion in 2023, while  also helping to drive more than 10 million American jobs. Government shutdowns severely hinder this  economic activity. The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis found that the 35-day shutdown in  December 2018 through January 2019 cost the U.S. economy $3 billion in forgone economic activity that  was never recovered. 

Congress must work quickly to avoid another harmful shutdown. The FAA, its dedicated frontline  workforce, our aviation community, our economy, and the American public cannot afford a disruption,  regardless of how long it lasts. 

Sincerely,

Affordable Skies 
Aeronautical Repair Station Association 
Aerospace Industries Association 
Air Line Pilots Association, International 
Air Medical Operators Association 
Aircraft Electronics Association 
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association 
Air Traffic Control Association 
Airlines for America 
Airports Council International – North America Allied Pilots Association 
Alpha Eta Rho 
American Association of Airport Executives 
American Institute of Aeronautics and  Astronautics 
American Society of Travel Advisors 
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA 
Association of Value Airlines 
Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems  International
Association of Professional Flight Attendants 
Aviation Technical Education Council 
Cargo Airline Association 
Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations 
Corporate Aircraft Association 
Experimental Aircraft Association 
General Aviation Manufacturers Association 
Global Business Travel Association 
International Aircraft Dealers Association 
International Air Transport Association 
International Association of Machinists and  Aerospace Workers 
International Council of Air Shows 
National Air Carrier Association 
National Air Traffic Controllers Association 
National Air Transportation Association 
National Aircraft Finance Association 
National Association of State Aviation Officials 
National Business Aviation Association 
NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots 
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL CIO
RTCA 
Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Regional Airline Association 
Southwest Airlines Pilots Association
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO
Travelers United 
United States Parachute Association
U.S. Contract Tower Association 
U.S. Helicopter Safety Team 
U.S. Travel Association 
Vertical Aviation International