Thousands of travelers delayed at Nashville Airport due to air traffic controller shortage

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Tens of thousands of travelers were delayed at Nashville International Airport (BNA) on Friday after a shortage of air traffic controllers forced the FAA to issue a ground delay lasting almost 12 hours. According to FlightAware, more than 300 flights were impacted throughout Halloween day, leaving many passengers frustrated and uncertain about when they’ll reach their destinations. “I’ve never missed a holiday before.” For traveler Rose Ogaz of Colorado, the delays meant missing an important Halloween tradition. “I booked a flight thinking I’d be home just in time for trick-or-treating. I was ready to leave at 12 p.m., got the notification, and have been just kind of waiting ever since," Ogaz said. Officials at BNA posted on their social media pages, alerting passengers that the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers is the reason for the ground delay. Flight attendants tell FOX 17 News they’ve been dealing with schedule disruptions for weeks and fear the situation could worsen if the federal government shutdown continues. Passengers like Thomas Mata say they waited more than an hour at the airport for relatives to arrive. “I gotta believe something’s gonna happen,” Mata said. “We can’t keep going on with this.” Middle Tennessee Congressman John Rose says the delays could become a turning point in the ongoing shutdown. “It ended when the air traffic controllers announced,” Rose said, referencing a previous government shutdown. “They moved the needle because the pain of seeing American air travel shut down was too great.” FOX 17 News reached out to both BNA officials and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association for additional comment, but has not yet received a response. Many passengers say they’re reconsidering future travel plans until the situation stabilizes. “My boss even said, ‘You better hope your flight doesn’t get delayed because of all the shutdowns,’” one traveler told FOX 17 News. As of Friday evening, there’s still no official word on what flight delays will look like throughout the rest of the weekend. Read the story here: https://fox17.com/news/local/thousands-of-travelers-delayed-at-nashville-airport-due-to-air-traffic-controller-shortage _______________ Follow! Like! Share! Subscribe! WZTV on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxnashville/ WZTV on X: https://twitter.com/FOXNashville https://fox17.com Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 615.369.1717 Fox 17 provides local news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment for Nashville and nearby towns and communities in Middle Tennessee, including Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, Fairview, Dickson, Clarksville, White House, Greenbrier, Springfield, Gallatin, Hartsville, Lebanon, Mt Juliet, Smyrna, College Grove, Thompson’s Station, Centerville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, Lewisburg, Shelbyville, Manchester, McMinnville, Smithville, Sparta, Cookeville, Hohenwald, Waverly, Camden, Paris, Lafayette, Portland, and in Kentucky, Russelville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Alvaton, Scottsville, Hopkinsville, Glasgow. #WZTV #fox17news #foxnashville #nashville #tennessee #tn #middletn #localnews #breakingnews #trending