The FAA will publish a list of "high-volume markets" that will face a 10% reduction in flights, effective Friday, citing safety concerns as the government shutdown continues. Air traffic controllers have been unpaid since Oct. 1 and many are working mandatory overtime, contributing to staffing shortfalls. Officials will meet with airlines before naming affected airports; industry groups urge Congress to end the shutdown to prevent widespread cancellations. An AP analysis found a sharp rise in facilities reporting staffing limits over recent weekends.
FAA to Name Major Airports Facing 10% Flight Reductions as Shutdown Persists
The FAA will publish a list of "high-volume markets" that will face a 10% reduction in flights, effective Friday, citing safety concerns as the government shutdown continues. Air traffic controllers have been unpaid since Oct. 1 and many are working mandatory overtime, contributing to staffing shortfalls. Officials will meet with airlines before naming affected airports; industry groups urge Congress to end the shutdown to prevent widespread cancellations. An AP analysis found a sharp rise in facilities reporting staffing limits over recent weekends.
12:34, 06.11.2025Society
FAA to cut flights at high-volume markets to maintain safety amid shutdown
The Federal Aviation Administration will publish a list Thursday of "high-volume markets" where it plans to reduce flights by 10%, with the reductions set to take effect on Friday, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. The agency says the move is necessary to maintain safety in the national airspace as the government shutdown stretches into a second month.
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1, with many working mandatory overtime—often six days a week. That sustained pressure has strained staffing levels across control towers and regional centers, prompting the FAA to take preemptive action.
"I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures," Bedford said Wednesday. He added that the agency is operating in "new territory" and that normal operations would not immediately resume even if the shutdown ends before Friday until staffing stabilizes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Bedford declined to name the specific cities and airports affected, saying they planned to meet with airline executives first to map out a safe implementation of the reductions. Major carriers, unions and travel industry groups have been urging Congress to end the shutdown to avoid further disruptions.
Industry analysts warn the cuts could lead to hundreds — and possibly thousands — of canceled flights. Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said the shutdown is "forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience."
The FAA and Transportation Department officials have warned that staffing shortfalls can occur both in regional control centers that oversee multiple airports and in individual airport towers. Through October, staffing-related delays were largely isolated and temporary, but recent weekends have shown a worsening trend.
From Friday through Sunday evening of the most recent weekend, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans from the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. That number is well above pre-shutdown weekend averages: between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, weekends averaged 8.3 facilities reporting potential staffing issues, while the five weekend periods since the shutdown began averaged 26.2 facilities.
Officials cautioned travelers to check with their airlines for schedule changes and to expect potential cancellations while the FAA and carriers coordinate implementation of the reductions. Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed reporting from Albuquerque, New Mexico.