It was mostly business as usual at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday morning, officials said, even as staffing shortages of air traffic controllers on the East Coast caused flight delays at airports across the country Friday.

The staffing problems amid the federal government shutdown were at air traffic centers in Jacksonville, Fla., and a Washington, D.C., center that controls high-altitude air traffic over seven states, according to the Associated Press. That prompted flight delays at LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

But the impact at MSP was largely limited to flight delays to Newark, said Patrick Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates MSP. FAA spokesman Gregory Martin added that there were no staffing issues at MSP.

The air traffic controller staffing shortages came more than a month after the partial federal government shutdown began.

The unions representing air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants has issued a statement earlier in the week saying, "We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines, and the traveling public due to the government shutdown."

Kelly Smith