Flights in the United States are set to return to normal after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was ending restrictions introduced during the government shutdown. Airlines can resume normal schedules from 6am Eastern Time (11:00 GMT) on Monday, the FAA said.
The agency had ordered reductions at 40 major airports amid reports of air traffic controllers experiencing fatigue and some refusing to work. The restrictions led to thousands of cancellations and widespread delays.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill to resume government funding, ending a six-week shutdown. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said lifting the order reflected a “steady decline in staffing concerns.”
The FAA reported staffing triggers — instances when available controllers fall below safe levels — fell from 81 on November 8 to six on Friday, eight on Saturday and one on Sunday.
Under the emergency order, airlines were required to cut flights by 4 percent by November 7 and 6 percent by November 10. Officials reduced that cap to 3 percent on Friday as staffing improved.
The FAA said it was “reviewing and assessing enforcement options” after reports some airlines did not fully comply with the order. Flight tracking site FlightAware recorded 315 cancellations on Saturday and 149 on Sunday.
