United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby has called on the US government to speed up the hiring of air traffic control (ATC) officers.
"We have fewer air traffic controllers today than we had 30 years ago," Kirby told left-leaning broadcaster National Public Radio on May 24.
"Here in Denver, the last two days we woke up to a 30% reduction in the arrival rate for aircraft at the airport because of [air traffic control] staffing shortages on clear, blue sky days. That is by far the biggest issue, and the most addressable," said Kirby, who was in Denver to promote the carrier's expanded operations at the city's main airport.
Kirby said the shortage is "not the FAA's [Federal Aviation Administration] fault".
"They simply don't have the congressional authorisation. We are working hard to get the right amount of resources and a bipartisan FAA reauthoriistion bill to address that issue," he told the broadcaster.