The group Airlines for America, which includes airlines like American Airlines, Delta and United, released a statement calling for a long-term solution to make sure air travel isn’t hurt in the future by political disagreements.
“We implore Congress to ensure future funding bills do not allow aviation to become collateral damage in Washington’s policy debates,” the trade group said in a statement.
Airlines for America pointed to a $5 billion FAA fund that the group says “could be used to pay air traffic controllers during future shutdowns.”
“We ask Congress to consider legislation that would implement a long-term solution,” Airlines for America said.
Federal workers, including air traffic controllers, went unpaid during the shutdown. Last week, the Trump administration announced that flights would be cut to reduce strain as the shutdown dragged on.