Nashville International Airport’s air traffic control tower went dark Tuesday night amid staff shortages due to the government shutdown – the second tower to close this week as the nationwide crisis continues to cripple airports and ground thousands of flights. 

The tower at the Tennessee hub shuttered at 5 p.m. and the blackout is expected to last until midnight, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The ground stop has delayed departing flights by an average of two hours due a shortage of air traffic controllers. 

“This reduction will remain in effect until further notice,” a pop-up message on the airport’s website states. 

“All airlines have been informed. Travelers should check the status of their flight with their respective airlines before arriving at BNA. As a reminder, the FAA has sole responsibility for the National Airspace System.”

Tuesday’s closure comes after the control tower at California’s Hollywood Airport was forced to shutter for several hours Monday night due to a lack of air traffic controllers – a major problem Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom pinned on President Trump. 

“Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,” he wrote on X.

The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, has left scores of unpaid controllers and airport staffers calling out sick – devastating more than a dozen major travel hubs from New Jersey and Chicago to Texas and California, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.  

As of Tuesday night, 3,450 flights were delayed across the country – including domestic and international arrivals and departures – and 69 were canceled, according to FlightAware. 

There were more than 6,140 delays reported on Monday, including 42% of flights leaving from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and 23% from California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport, data showed.

Follow The Post’s live updates on flight delays across the US during the government shutdown

Nearly 90 canceled flights were also reported.

O’Hare’s control tower was also expected to be short-staffed Tuesday from 3 p.m. to midnight, according to the FAA’s operations plan, CNN reported.

Houston’s two major airports — Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental — along with Newark, Boston Logan, and Las Vegas International, are also expected to experience ground delays.

The Post contacted the FAA for comment, but received an automatic reply that the press office was shut down due to the “lapse in funding” shuttering non-exempt activities.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday flagged a spike in sick calls, warning the ongoing shutdown will further strain air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers who are expected to show up despite not being paid.

“Our priorities are safety,” Duffy said at a press conference held at Newark Liberty International Airport, which has been plagued with staffing issues and power outages even before the shutdown began.

“And so, if we have additional sick calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people. We do not have the luxury of time. We do not have time to waste on the unnecessary distractions created by this situation. Our message is clear: end the shutdown.”

Additional delays in air travel are expected to continue as the federal shutdown drags on. 

Prior to a series of failed Senate votes, the TSA and FAA were already grappling with a staffing crisis, with the FAA short roughly 3,000 air traffic controllers for over six months. 

The last government shutdown in 2018 lasted for 35 days, with controllers nationwide suing the government to try and receive their paychecks.