FAA cancels thousands of flights amid strain from US government shutdown
The Federal Aviation Administration will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 major markets from Friday to maintain safety, as unpaid air traffic controllers face growing fatigue and staff shortages during the longest government shutdown on record.
Issued on: 06/11/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was taking the extraordinary step of reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.
The cutback stands to affect thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft. The agency did not immediately identify which airports or cities would be affected but said the restrictions would remain in place as long as necessary.
“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,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference.
Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began on October 1st, and most have been on duty six days a week while putting in mandatory overtime. With some calling out of work due to frustration, taking second jobs or lacking money for childcare or fuel, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at several US airports.
Bedford, citing increased staffing pressures and safety reports indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, said he and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point.
“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” Bedford said. “The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we’ll come back and take additional measures.”
The Associated Press on Wednesday sent requests for comment on the FAA’s decision to major US airlines, including Delta, United and American Airlines.
Calls to customer service hotlines at United and American were answered within a few minutes Wednesday afternoon, suggesting anxious passengers were not swamping the airlines with questions about the status of their upcoming flights.
Southwest Airlines said it was evaluating potential impacts to its flight schedule and would reach out as soon as possible to customers whose travel plans may be affected.
Airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, said he believed the government might have mishandled the announcement by not meeting with airlines first and giving them more time to adjust schedules made months in advance.
“To tell airlines you’ve got 48 hours to rebuild your schedules at 90% of what you’ve got isn’t much time, and it’s going to result in a lot of chaos,” Harteveldt said. He added that the Trump administration might be using aviation safety “to force the two sides in Washington back to the negotiating table to resolve the shutdown.”
AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz advised travellers to watch for flight updates on airline apps and airport websites. She also recommended allowing plenty of time at the airport before a scheduled flight.
“It’s frustrating for travellers, because there’s not much you can do. At the end of the day, you either fly or you don’t,” she said.
The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upward of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium. For example, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago could see 121 of its 1,212 flights scheduled for Friday cut if the FAA distributes the reductions equally among affected airports, Cirium said.
The FAA regularly slows down or stops flights from taking off toward an airport for a number of reasons, including weather conditions, equipment failures and technical problems. Staffing shortages may also lead to slowed or halted departures if other personnel cannot fill in or another facility cannot absorb some of the workload.
Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages of the shutdown, which became the longest on record early Wednesday.
From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 different air traffic control facilities announced the potential for limited staffing, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans sent through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The figure, likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.
During weekend periods from January 1st to September 30th, the average number of airport towers, regional centres overseeing multiple airports and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began on October 1st, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the wider travel industry have urged Congress to end the shutdown.
Wednesday’s announcement followed Duffy’s warning a day earlier that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheques next Tuesday.
Duffy said the FAA wanted to take a proactive approach instead of reacting after a disaster. He pointed to all the questions that arose after the deadly mid-air collision in January between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport about why the FAA had not recognised the risks and acted sooner.
“We learned from that. And so now we look at data, and before it would become an issue, we try to assess the pressure and make moves before there could be adverse consequences,” Duffy said. “And that’s what’s happening here today.”
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
US to reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 high-volume airportsover government shutdown
US aviation authorities said Wednesday that they were taking the extraordinary step of reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” airports beginning Friday morning as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the cutback is expected to affect thousands of flights nationwide, as it directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft.
The agency did not immediately identify which airports or cities would be affected but said the restrictions would remain in place as long as necessary.
Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began on 1 October, and most have been on duty six days a week while putting in mandatory overtime.
“I’m not aware of my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference.
Citing increased staffing pressures and voluntary safety reports from pilots indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, Bedford said he and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point.
“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” Bedford said.
“The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we’ll come back and take additional measures.”
Meanwhile, several airlines, including United, Southwest and American, all said they will try to minimise the impact on consumers as they cut their schedules to comply with the order.
Media reports said calls to United and American Airlines customer service hotlines were answered within a few minutes on Wednesday afternoon, suggesting anxious passengers were not swamping the airlines with questions about the status of their upcoming flights.
According to an estimate by aviation analytics company Cirium, the losses could amount to 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats.
For example, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago could see 121 of its 1,212 flights currently scheduled for Friday cut if the FAA distributes the reductions equally among impacted airports, Cirium said.
Data shows worsening staffing
It is common for the FAA to slow down or stop flights from taking off toward an airport for many reasons, including weather conditions, equipment failures, and technical problems.
Staffing shortages also may lead to slowed or halted departures if there aren’t enough controllers and another facility can’t absorb some of the workload.
Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages of the shutdown.
According to an Associated Press report showing plans issued through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system, at least 39 distinct air traffic control facilities announced there was some possibility of restricted staffing between Friday and Sunday evening.
The figure, which the report described as likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the wider travel industry have urged the US Congress to end the shutdown, which became the longest on record early Wednesday.
Flying to or from the US? Here's how a potential airspace closure could affect your trip
The last time the US closed parts of its air space was in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks.
An already chaotic time for travellers in the US could become even worse.
As America’s government shutdown hits a record-breaking 36 days, the fallout is spreading from Washington’s halls of power to airports across the country.
On Tuesday, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy upped the stakes, declaring that parts of US airspace could be closed due to safety concerns if the deadlock continues.
His warning has raised the prospect of unprecedented disruption for millions of passengers entering, leaving or travelling in the country.
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it,” Duffy said.
“We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s unsafe.”
But what would this mean for travellers, and is chaos in the skies really on the horizon?
‘Mass chaos’ looms as unpaid staff walk off the job
The last time the US closed its airspace was in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks. With no end to the shutdown in sight, frustration is spilling into the country’s air network and making another closure suddenly seem possible.
Thousands of air traffic controllers and airport security officers are still working without pay. According to aviation insiders, more are beginning to call in sick to find temporary jobs elsewhere to make ends meet.
“I think you’re also seeing people who are just calling in sick because they’re fed up and they’re like, ‘well, I’m going to spend the holiday weekend with my kids for once,’” one air traffic controller told NPR this week.
The Trump administration has said the shutdown has left shortages of up to 3,000 air traffic controllers. Employees of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have already missed one paycheck.
Duffy and the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association have warned that the longer it continues, the more the financial pressure on those forced to work without pay will grow.
It is difficult to predict how much worse the situation could get if they miss a second paycheck but the shutdown has already left some passengers facing longer queues, missed connections and hours of waiting in airports or on the tarmac.
What do delays and cancellations look like for US travellers so far?
Normally, airlines strive to have at least 80 per cent of their flights depart and arrive within 15 minutes of when they are scheduled. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that since the shutdown began on 1 October, the total number of delays overall has not fallen significantly below that goal because most of the disruptions so far have been no worse than what happens when a major thunderstorm moves across an airport.
But on Sunday, only about 56 per cent of Newark's departures were on time, and the Orlando airport reported that only about 70 per cent of its flights were on time, according to Cirium.
Industry groups estimate that more than 3.2 million passengers have already been affected since the shutdown began. On Tuesday alone, nearly 3,000 flights were delayed after shortages hit air hubs such as Phoenix, Houston, Detroit and Denver.
Airlines are also warning that the chaos could soon hit bookings if travellers lose confidence in the system – especially if the safety of American skies takes a PR hit.
“Every single day that this goes on tomorrow is now less safe than today,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told CNN.
What would airspace closures mean for travellers?
Even a partial closure of US airspace would have widespread consequences because the country’s air traffic control system is highly interconnected.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, air traffic centres handle flights across multiple regions, meaning delays or restrictions at one facility quickly affect others. Industry analysts, including Airlines for America (A4A), have also warned that staffing shortages in one region can cause “nationwide ripple effects” across the network.
If a major centre limits arrivals or departures, those delays cascade through other airports, creating knock-on cancellations and missed connections far from the original problem. And reroutings and reduced capacity across the US could have a huge impact on international schedules, complicating onward travel to Europe and elsewhere.
While a full closure isn’t yet on the table, the warning highlights how fragile the system has become after more than a month without funding.
At the time of writing, more than 480 flights within, into or out of the United States had already been delayed today, while 57 had been cancelled, according to FlightAware.
No comments:
Post a Comment