In the United States, more than 8,000 flights have been delayed due to continuing shortages of air traffic controllers on the 26th day of a partial government shutdown. This information comes from Reuters.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) faced challenges in staffing controllers at 22 locations and warned that further shortages could lead to additional delays and cancellations in the coming days.

According to FlightAware, on Monday, there were over 8,000 delays in the US, compared to approximately 5,300 on Saturday. Since the government shutdown began on October 1, delays have frequently exceeded average levels.

On Sunday, Southwest Airlines delayed 45% of its flights, roughly 2,000. American Airlines had nearly 1,200 delays, or about a third of its operations. United Airlines reported a 24% delay rate, equating to 739 flights; Delta Air Lines delayed 610 flights, or 17%.

About 13,000 air traffic controllers and approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees have been forced to work without pay as the shutdown continues.

The rise in delays and cancellations is being closely monitored as an indicator of how the government shutdown impacts the daily lives of Americans. This, in turn, may increase pressure on lawmakers to resolve budget issues and end the shutdown.

On Saturday, the FAA recorded 22 "triggers" of staff shortages, Duffy said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." He noted that this was "one of the highest figures in the system" since October 1. "It indicates that controllers are on the brink of exhaustion," he added.

It is also worth noting that flight attendants from Canada's Air Canada, who are union members, stopped working in August after wage negotiations with the country's largest airline reached an impasse.