WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown.
The reduction stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide.
The FAA is confronting staffing shortages among air traffic controllers who have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1, with some calling out of work, resulting in delays across the country.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would not for a crisis to act, citing growing staffing pressures caused by the shutdown.
“We can’t ignore it,” he said.
Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they will meet later Wednesday with airline executives to determine how to safely implement the reduction in flights.
“The early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” Bedford said.
Both Bedford and Duffy declined at a news conference Wednesday to name the affected markets until they speak with the airlines first. Bedford said a list would be released Thursday.
“If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures,” he said, “we’ll come back and take additional measures.”
There have already been numerous delays at airports across the country — sometimes hours long — because the FAA slows down or stops traffic temporarily anytime it is short on controllers. Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages, and on Sunday, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the wider travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium says flight data showed a “broader slowdown” last Thursday across the nation’s aviation system for the first time since the shutdown began, suggesting staffing-related disruptions were starting to become more widespread. That came days after controllers missed their first full paychecks.
Earlier this week, Duffy warned there could be chaos in the skies next week if the shutdown drags on long enough to keep air traffic controllers from getting their next paychecks on Tuesday.
Most controllers have continued to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage payments and other expenses unless controllers call out.
