Sec. Buttigieg: Government shutdown would send US air travel 'in the wrong direction'

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the department is making substantial progress on air travel disruptions and keeping Americans safe when they fly. However, there's one key thing that could derail progress — a government shutdown. "What would not help us in the progress we're making right now is a government shutdown," Buttigieg told Yahoo Finance at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Tech Conference on Wednesday (video above). "If we went through a shutdown, a lot of the progress that we have been making on building up air traffic control, staffing, and readiness in training would be stopped in its tracks. We'd lose the momentum that we've gained over recent weeks and months, and it would send us in the wrong direction." This week, lawmakers returned from their summer recess as the clock begins ticking to pass spending legislation before the government shuts down at midnight on Sept. 30. Stifel chief Washington policy strategist Brian Gardner recently told Yahoo Finance that a government shutdown now looks "pretty likely." "I think a shutdown is certainly above 50/50," Gardner said. "I'm probably in the 60% to 65% range at this point." Economists have been split on the economic impacts of a government shutdown this fall, though the airline industry could be particularly affected as it has faced chronic challenges stemming from the pandemic such as shortages of pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers as well as aging infrastructure. Though there are reportedly more close calls occurring on runways, Buttigieg reiterated that air travel remains remarkably safe. Even small incidents get deep scrutiny, he said.<br/>