Delta CEO says no impact on airline’s operation

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC that the carrier’s operation is running smoothly despite the federal government shutdown.

More than 13,000 U.S. flights were delayed this week, some of them due to shortages of air traffic controllers, raising concerns about strains on the country’s aviation industry during the shutdown.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Monday that the FAA is seeing a “slight uptick” in sick calls of air traffic controllers.

He also said the shutdown is exacerbating concerns about the strain on air traffic controllers, a shortage of whom has vexed airline executives for years. Under the shutdown thousands of federal employees, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers at airports are working without pay.

Delta’s CEO said in an interview that the airline hasn’t seen “any impacts at all” so far from the shutdown but urged a quick resolution.

Delta on Thursday reported better-than-expected third-quarter results and forecast a more profitable end of the year than analysts expected.