Airline cancellations and traffic limits are likely to continue even after the government reopens, officials and industry groups warned, as carriers scrubbed dozens of flights on Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered reductions at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports, with cuts escalating to about 10% of flights by Friday. The moves respond to ongoing staffing shortfalls among air traffic controllers, many of whom have been required to work without pay during the country’s longest government shutdown — now 42 days and counting.
Over the past weekend the FAA flagged shortages at dozens of facilities and slowed traffic at some locations to ease pressure on the controllers who did report for duty. Airlines canceled more than 1,200 flights on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the situation was showing signs of improvement, with only a small number of FAA facilities still reporting shortages. But he stressed that traffic restrictions will remain until regulators see staffing levels reliably return to normal.
Duffy said regulators will review the data before removing limits, and that any return to normal operations depends on controllers coming back to work.
Even after restrictions are lifted, restoring regular schedules won’t be instantaneous. Former FAA administrator Randy Babbitt noted that airlines will need time to reposition aircraft and crews displaced by the slowdown — a logistical process that can take several days.
Airlines for America, the industry trade group, echoed that warning, saying carriers cannot instantly restore full schedules once the government reopens and that there will be residual impacts lasting days.
The FAA has defended the restrictions as a safety measure while fewer controllers are available. Some controllers have taken second jobs during the shutdown, and an elevated number have called in sick, officials said.
Some Democrats have accused the administration of using the cuts to increase pressure to end the shutdown; Duffy rejected that characterization, saying the measures respond to legitimate safety concerns raised by pilots and to rising worries about aircraft losing required separation.
Duffy also cautioned of more severe consequences if lawmakers do not resolve the shutdown: some carriers could halt operations entirely, he warned, saying airlines might choose to ground planes if the staffing crisis continues.