Hollywood Burbank Airport Recovers After Monday Night Air Traffic Control Staffing Crisis

Hollywood Burbank Airport has returned to normal operations this morning following a critical staffing shortage that left its air traffic control tower unstaffed for several hours last night. The incident, which occurred from 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025, led to significant flight delays and cancellations, impacting numerous travelers.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials had issued an early Monday advisory, anticipating the lack of air traffic controllers. During the unstaffed period, the FAA imposed a ground delay, with average delays estimated at approximately 151 minutes. Plane captains departing Burbank were instructed to contact Southern California TRACON for departure clearance, resulting in a visible queue of jets on the runway.

By 7 p.m. Monday, the airport reported 25 arrival delays, 17 departure delays, seven arrival cancellations, and five departure cancellations. Some affected passengers were rerouted to other local airports, including Los Angeles International Airport.

California Governor Gavin Newsom attributed the staffing issues directly to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also acknowledged an uptick in sick calls from air traffic controllers nationwide, who are currently working without pay. This comes amidst a broader national shortage of air traffic controllers, with FAA data indicating that 90% of U.S. airport terminal towers are understaffed. Similar staffing triggers were also reported at airports in Denver, Phoenix, and Detroit on Monday.

The Burbank tower was fully staffed after 10 p.m. Monday night, allowing operations to gradually normalize through the evening and into today.

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