Southwest Airlines had 45 per cent, or 2,000 flights delayed on Sunday, while American Airlines had nearly 1,200, or a third of its flights delayed, according to FlightAware. (Wikimedia Commons Photo/ Representational)

More than 8,000 flights were delayed across the US on Sunday as air traffic controller absences continued to disrupt travel and a federal government shutdown reached its 26th day.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration experienced air traffic control staffing issues at 22 locations on Saturday, and added additional shortages were expected to lead to more flight delays and cancellations in the days ahead.

According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, there were more than 8,000 US flight delays by 11 pm ET on Sunday (0400 GMT

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