A major California airport was without air traffic controllers for several hours on Monday, state Governor Gavin Newsom announced, attributing the incident to the current budget shutdown in the United States.

This shortage of air traffic controllers is affecting Burbank, Los Angeles' secondary airport, which handles around six million passengers a year.

"Thanks @realDonaldTrump!" the Democrat joked, referring to the US president. "Burbank Airport has NO air traffic controllers from 4:15 PM to 10 PM today (11:15 PM to 5 AM GMT Tuesday) due to YOUR budget freeze."

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a bulletin reporting two and a half hour delays for departing flights, citing "personnel" as one of the causes.

Contacted by AFP, Burbank Airport explained that "operations are continuing."

"We advise passengers to check with their airline - before arriving at the airport - for information regarding possible delays or cancellations," a spokesperson added.

According to ABC7, tasks normally performed by the Burbank control tower must be handled by a team located in San Diego, more than 200 kilometers to the south.

Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on the US budget last week, triggering a government shutdown: due to a lack of funds to operate, some federal administrations have been closed and several hundred thousand civil servants have been placed on compulsory unemployment.

Employed by the FAA, air traffic controllers are considered essential workers, expected to continue their mission even without pay.

But this system based on volunteerism and a sense of duty has its limits, which the United States already saw during Donald Trump's first term, when the country endured a 35-day budget shutdown - the longest in American history.

At airports, some unpaid security guards had begun calling in sick, and air traffic controllers had sued the government in an attempt to collect their wages.

The current shutdown is in its sixth day, and some observers fear it could last several weeks.

Republicans are proposing a simple extension of the current budget until the end of November.

Democrats are refusing because they are demanding the extension of public health insurance programs for the poorest and want the Trump administration to reverse some of the health spending cuts recently enacted by the American right.