Starting Friday, air travel will face reductions at 40 “busy” airports across the U.S. if the government shutdown persists, according to officials from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The current shutdown, which has now become the longest on record at 35 days, has already led to significant flight delays at major airports. This has, quite understandably, stemmed from a shortage of air traffic controllers.
During a press conference, FAA Administrator Brian Bedford emphasized that the agency cannot overlook the issues resulting from these shortages.
DOT official Sean Duffy explained that as the shutdown continues to disrupt air travel, the federal government is taking specific actions, including a planned 10 percent reduction in capacity at the 40 affected locations.
This new limitation will begin on Friday, impacting roughly 4,000 flights nationwide.
The FAA confirmed that the reductions would apply to 40 busy airports.
Duffy’s comments came shortly after he cautioned that if the shutdown carries on into next week, the DOT might have to “close certain portions of airspace.”
He noted, “The longer this continues, the more that hardworking Americans face tough choices every day. Are air traffic controllers going to stick with their jobs, or will they need to seek alternative work just to make ends meet?” This situation, he believes, is likely to worsen over time.
Duffy also mentioned that Senate Democrats have been unwilling to pass a straightforward continuing resolution to reopen the government. He warned, “In a week, we could see significant disruptions with many flights delayed or canceled. We might have to close parts of our airspace due to a lack of available air traffic controllers.”
