FAA says it will list airports where it is reducing flights during the government shutdown

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press Airlines and Journey Writer Travelers through chosen of the busiest U S airports can expect to learn Thursday whether they ll see fewer flights as the cabinet shutdown drags into a second month Related Articles Battenfeld Could Michelle Wu crack the national ticket in Massachusetts Gov Healey backs AG in war of words with U S Attorney over ICE masks Hegseth and Rubio share classified details on boat strikes with congressional leaders Democrats are hopeful again But unresolved questions remain about party s path forward IRS Direct File won t be available next year Here s what that means for taxpayers The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the high-volume markets where it is reducing flights by before the cuts go into effect Friday reported agency administrator Bryan Bedford The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown the agency stated Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled The cuts could represent as numerous as flights and upwards of seats combined according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium I m not aware in my -year history in the aviation domain where we ve had a situation where we re taking these kinds of measures Bedford explained Wednesday We re in new territory in terms of executive shutdowns Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct The greater part work mandatory overtime six days a week leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act Bedford reported Wednesday at a news conference We can t ignore it he noted adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday the FAA wouldn t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined during the news conference to name the cities and airports where they will slow air traffic saying they craved to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions Major airlines aviation unions and the broader advance industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown which on Wednesday became the longest on record The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and forcing intricate operational decisions that disrupt excursion and damage confidence in the U S air passage experience disclosed U S Passage Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a announcement Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks alongside Vice President JD Vance about the impact of the governing body shutdown on the aviation industry outside of the West Wing of the White House Thursday Oct in Washington AP Photo Jacquelyn Martin Duffy explained a few controllers can get by missing one paycheck but not two or more And he has stated certain controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers but they don t dependably lead to flight disruptions Throughout October flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary But the past weekend brought a few of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown From Friday to Sunday evening at least air traffic control facilities released prospective staffing limits according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system The figure which is likely an undercount is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown During weekends from Jan to Sept the average number of airport towers regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that broadcasted likely staffing issues was according to the AP analysis But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began the average more than tripled to facilities Associated Press journalist Christopher L Keller contributed from Albuquerque New Mexico