Delta CEO: Government shutdown tab $25 million and counting

Delta Air Lines is losing an estimated $25 million in business due to the longest government shutdown on record, the airline's CEO said Tuesday.

Ed Bastian told CNBC the decline in revenue is due to fewer government employees and contractors traveling. He said the $25 million figure is a monthly impact that will continue as long as the shutdown, now in its 25th day, lingers.

Bastian also noted longer airport security lines due to an increase in the number of TSA workers calling in sick. The airline's Atlanta hub was hit particularly hard on Monday morning with 90-minute waits he called "substantially longer than expected.''

He said the lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest, settled down Monday afternoon.

Bastian said long waits are not the norm across the country, however.

"I think it's sporadic,'' he said. "Most of our airports are reporting no material change in line waits.''

He said Delta is providing employees to help the TSA during busy times.

"We're providing a lot of people into the queues, helping take any of the non-security TSA functions off of the TSA's hands to the extent that we can,'' he said. "I think it's hopefully going to be relatively smooth sailing for our customers.''

Bastian said the shutdown is also delaying the certification of new aircraft because FAA approvals are required.

The comments came after Delta reported a fourth-quarter and full-year profit early Tuesday. It is the first airline to report financial results for the period and is expected to give more details on the impact of the shutdown in a conference call with Wall Street analysts later Tuesday morning.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Delta CEO: Government shutdown tab $25 million and counting