US to cut flights at 40 airports if shutdown doesn’t end, transportation secretary warns
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned there would be a 10% reduction in air travel capacity at 40 major US airports starting Friday morning if the government shutdown continues.
The decision was made because air traffic controllers reported fatigue issues, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a briefing with Duffy on Wednesday.
“It’s unusual, just like the shutdown is unusual, just like the fact that our controllers haven’t been paid in a month is unusual,” FAA Chief Bryan Bedford said.
During the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, controllers had to continue working without pay, prompting some to call in sick or take side jobs.
The flight reductions will be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday, then increasing to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, before reaching 10% next week, Reuters reported after the announcement, citing four unnamed sources.
The names of the affected airports – all high-traffic locations – will be released on Thursday, officials said.
Cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day.
“We’re seeing pressures building up in a way that, if we leave this unchecked, will not allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest aviation system in the world,” Bedford said.
Duffy said air travel was still safe and the decision to cancel flights was made to maintain safety and efficiency.
If the shutdown continues and adds more pressure to the system, additional restrictive measures may be necessary, Bedford said.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, North America’s fourth-largest carrier, said in a statement that the company was still evaluating how flight restrictions would affect its services and would notify customers as soon as possible.
“We continue to urge Congress to immediately break its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity,” the spokesperson added.
Delta Airlines declined to comment. The BBC also contacted other major US airlines.
Once government funds ran out on October 1, most federal workers were sent home and told they would be paid once the government reopened. However, people deemed essential, such as controllers, had to continue to do their work without being paid.
Almost immediately after the shutdown began, airports began to feel the effects. Some had to ground their flights for hours after air traffic controllers called in sick, while others relied on controllers at other airports.
Nick Daniels, president of the union representing more than 20,000 aviation workers, described the situation in grim terms on Wednesday.
“Air traffic controllers are texting ‘I don’t even have enough money to put gas in my car and come to work,'” he told CNN.
“We base what we do day in and day out on predictability,” he said. “At the moment there is no predictability.”
Duffy warned earlier this week that flight cancellations could occur as half of the country’s 30 major airports experience staffing shortages.
He previously said there was a risk if air traffic controllers took on additional duties during the shutdown, and threatened to fire controllers who do not come to work.
“They have to make a decision: Do I go to work without getting a paycheck and putting food on the table? Or do I drive for Uber or DoorDash or wait tables?” » Duffy said on ABC on Sunday.
