US flights normalise after shutdown, FAA lifts long restrictions
The Federal Aviation Administration announced that flight schedules in the United States will return to normal on Monday after the reductions implemented during the recent government shutdown have been lifted.
On Sunday evening, the FAA confirmed that restrictions would be removed and “normal operations can resume” nationwide starting at 6:00 am Washington time (1100 GMT) on Monday.
As a direct consequence of understaffing during the government shutdown, which lasted a record-breaking 43 days, thousands of flights across the US had been cancelled.
A ten percent cut in domestic flights was enforced at 40 of the nation's busiest airports due to a significant shortage of control tower personnel. These critical workers had been forced to work without pay while the budget impasse continued.
The situation in the aviation industry worsened when President Donald Trump threatened to withhold pay from air traffic controllers who reported sick during the shutdown, calling their actions unpatriotic.
Despite the government shutdown officially ending on Wednesday, a three percent reduction in flights was still noted over the weekend, although the FAA indicated that some airlines had not adhered to the imposed restrictions.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy issued a statement saying, “Now we can refocus our efforts on ramping up controller hiring and developing the new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system.”
This relaxation of restrictions comes just days before a significant increase in air travelers is anticipated, ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday on November 27.
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