- 10 percent of flights at about 40 major airports will be suspended
- if the shutdown drags on, parts of U.S. airspace could be closed entirely
- the decision to cut flights aims to ease pressure on overworked controllers
The U.S. government is preparing to scale back air traffic operations as the prolonged federal shutdown continues to strain the aviation sector.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday that 10 percent of flights at about 40 major airports will be suspended starting Friday if Congress fails to resolve the funding impasse.
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The 36-day shutdown, the longest in American history, has disrupted key government functions and left thousands of federal workers unpaid.
Duffy said the decision to cut flights aims to ease pressure on overworked controllers. “We had to ask ourselves what our responsibility is in ensuring safety,” he told reporters.
Though the FAA has not listed the affected airports, analysts expect the reductions to include the nation’s busiest hubs New York, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas, potentially grounding about 1,800 flights and removing over 260,000 seats, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Major airlines, including Delta, United, American, and Southwest, said they are in talks with the FAA to mitigate disruptions. The agency warned that further flight limits could follow if staffing shortages worsen.
Duffy also cautioned that if the shutdown drags on, parts of U.S. airspace could be closed entirely a scenario airlines warn could cause “mass chaos” for passengers nationwide.
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