The US will reduce flight capacity by 10% in 40 high-volume markets across the country, although international routes will be exempt, in order to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers and the aviation system during what is already the longest government shutdown in history.
The changes will begin on Friday, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy reported during a press conference with the director of the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Bryan Bedford. The agency plans to publish the list of affected markets on Thursday.
“The data will dictate what we do,” Duffy said. “If the data goes in the wrong direction, could we see more restrictions? Yes.”
The reductions are expected to be phased. U.S. airlines were informed late Wednesday that they should plan to cut flight volume by 4% on Friday and 5% on Saturday.according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
The cut will reach 10% sometime next week, and international flights will not be affected, they added. However, The situation remains fluid and the plan could still be modified, the sources indicated.
The announced plans, if they affect the 40 largest US airports, could reduce up to 1,800 flights, according to data analysis company Cirium.
United Airlines Holdings Inc. offered a first look at how airlines will implement the directive. Its chief executive, Scott Kirby, said the cuts will be concentrated on regional and domestic flights that do not connect the company’s main hubs.
Duffy said the cuts are necessary to maintain aviation safety. Bedford added that he also expects the FAA to restrict space launches.
The FAA has been forced to slow traffic at many airports in recent days due to a growing shortage of controller staff since the government shutdown began on October 1. They continue to work without pay, adding pressure to an already stressful job.
President Donald Trump also addressed delays and cancellations caused by staffing shortages. “They are leaving thousands of travelers stranded at airports,” he said at the America Business Forum in Miami. “All because they want to return to Biden’s failed policies.”
Trump’s statements and a previous roundtable with airline executives were part of his strategy to increase pressure on Democrats and reach an agreement that ends the closure.
