🔗 Share this article

As the unprecedented federal government shutdown nears day 38, US flight paths is about to get less congested. The same cannot be said for US terminals.

Precautionary Steps Implemented

Donald Trump’s aviation regulatory body stated flights are being reduced to ensure air traffic control safety during the federal government funding lapse, currently the lengthiest in history and with no apparent progress of a resolution between Republicans and Democrats to end the federal budget standoff.

Aviation authorities pinpointed “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a move that would force airlines to call off thousands of journeys and cause a cascade of scheduling problems and delays at major US air terminals.

Administration Remarks

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, wrote on social media Thursday that the move was “not politically driven” but rather “about assessing the data and mitigating growing safety concerns in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” Duffy stated.

Flight Cancellations

Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent approximately 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats collectively, per an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The involved terminals covering more than two dozen states include the highest-volume locations across the US – featuring Georgia's capital, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, MCO, LAX, Florida hotspot and Bay Area airport. Within major metropolitan areas – such as New York, Texas city and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be impacted.

The trio of airports operating in the nation's capital region – IAD, Baltimore/Washington international and Reagan National – will be involved, likely creating schedule changes for elected representatives as well as additional passengers.

Additional Developments

• Here’s the list of US airports cutting flights on Friday because of federal government funding lapse.
• A former Department of Justice employee who threw a sandwich at a federal officer during the current law enforcement increase in the capital received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rebuke of the federal action.
• Some Democratic legislators viewed Tuesday’s major voting successes as proof they should stand firm and secure the best deal from conservative lawmakers before consenting to conclude the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, after her statement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she intends to step down.
• The conservative leader, the leader of the political research group behind the conservative initiative, expressed regret for backing the commentator's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to leave his position.