The future of air traffic control grows more uncertain as the federal government shutdown continues

A plane takes off behind the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday. Samuel Corum/Bloomberg/Getty Images Washington —

The impact of the federal government shutdown on the air traffic control system in the United States could linger on well beyond the reopening of the government.

From safety redundancies and modernization efforts to training future controllers and keeping the best staff, much of the work of the Federal Aviation Administration could see long term harms from the shutdown, experts say.

“There’s no question that the shutdown will only set us backwards,” said Erik Hansen, senior vice president and head of government relations for the US Travel Association. “The real risk is that it will do irreparable ha