BILLINGS— Some airports across the nation have experienced delays during the week-long government shutdown, but Billings Logan International Airport has not slowed down, according to an airport official.
“Right now, everything is running as normal. We can't predict what's going to happen in the future,” said Assistant Director of Aviation Paul Khera.
Watch to see how the airport is responding to the shutdown:
It is too soon for Khera to tell how the airport will respond if the shutdown continues. He said TSA agents will receive their next paycheck Monday.
“They're still gonna get one more paycheck and then they stop getting paychecks and that's when things may start to change,” said Khera.
Across the country, airports have been forced to cancel flights, largely because of shortages of air traffic controllers. Those federal employees have been working without pay during the shutdown, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said more sick days over the past week, according to CBS News.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is posting updates on flight delays and cancellations.
According to MTN Broadcast Engineer Justin Hosa, who has been flying back to Billings from Nashville, there have been delays in the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.
“Currently, we're on standby to go from Minneapolis to Salt Lake and then to Billings, but we heard from a guy that was in the shuttle from the airport that a lot of flights have been canceled over the nation today. So, we're just crossing our fingers that we get back,” he said Wednesday morning.
Hosa, who was supposed to return home to Billings Tuesday night, stayed in a Minneapolis hotel overnight due to unpredictable flight times.
“I hope the government gets a funding bill passed so that this doesn't go on forever. As you know, travel is stressful enough and this just adds another layer to it,” he added.
