Starting November 7, 40 of the largest airports in the United States will reduce the number of flights by 10%. The decision was made by federal aviation officials to reduce the workload caused by a shortage of air traffic controllers due to the government shutdown. This is reported by the Financial Times.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will begin reducing flights to ensure flight safety amid the shutdown and a shortage of about 2,000 controllers.
FAA Administrator Brian Bedford said that the list of 40 airports would be released on Thursday, adding that the decision would be made “based on data”:
“It’s not about which airlines have more flights and where they come from. It’s about where the pressure is greatest and how to relieve it.
Bedford and Duffy warned that if these measures are not effective enough, additional restrictions could be introduced.
United Airlines said it would “focus schedule reductions on regional and domestic trunk flights,” while international and inter-hub flights would remain unchanged. American Airlines said it was “awaiting additional information from the FAA to determine which flights will be affected,” but stressed that “the vast majority of our customers’ travel will not be affected.”
According to the FAA, about 3 million passengers pass through US airports every day on more than 44,000 flights. The new restrictions will apply to both commercial and freight travel on domestic and international routes, as well as space launches.
Meanwhile, the shutdown has been in its fifth week, and there is still no sign of reaching an agreement to resume government work.
