As well as moral support, members have been donating money to support colleagues in their sister union NATCA, who have continued working to keep planes in the air across the USA.

NATCA members have no choice but to continue working, even though they have no idea when they will next get paid.

Paul Winstanley, chair of Prospect ATCOs' branch, said: “Prospect ATCOs’ branch would like to share our support for our colleagues in the US during this ongoing Federal shutdown. 

“For a dedicated group of aviation safety professionals to be treated so poorly by those who would use them as pawns in their political games, and who take their efforts for granted, is unforgivable.

“It’s difficult to understand the sacrifices and hardships that so many NATCA members are currently facing and the anxieties that these concerns must bring to them and their families.  

"The highest compliment that can be paid to them is that the flying public in the USA will see no reduction in the service provided to them by the dedication and professionalism of NATCA members ensuring they remain safe in the skies.

“We may be separated by an ocean, but we stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with our union comrades, and we join together with our brothers and sisters globally in calling for an end to this unnecessary shutdown.”