The Federal Aviation Administration says flight restrictions will remain in place Thursday, one day after President Donald Trump signed a continuing resolution restoring government funding.
As it appeared a deal was in the works to reopen the government, the FAA experienced fewer employee call-offs in recent days. On Nov. 8, the agency reported 81 staffing-related triggers. On Tuesday, that number fell to 11, and on Wednesday, four.
The FAA said there will be a 6% reduction in domestic flight volume as it “assesses whether the system can gradually return to normal operations.” The agency had warned that up to 10% of domestic flights could be grounded because of shutdown-related staffing shortages.
On Monday, more than 2,000 domestic flights were canceled. The number of cancellations fell to about 1,000 on Tuesday.
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“Our top priority at the FAA is, and always will be, safety,” said Administrator Bryan Bedford. “The data shows that controller staffing is improving rapidly, which allows us to hold flight reductions at six percent while maintaining the highest levels of safety in our airspace. We’ll continue to monitor system performance hour by hour, and we won’t hesitate to make further adjustments if needed.”
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said it took more than two months for controllers to be “made whole” after going without pay during the 35-day government shutdown in 2019.
He noted that some controllers may have left the job amid the recent shutdown, which could keep staffing levels lower for some time.
“This government shutdown is not a light switch,” he said. “It’s not just on and off. Air traffic controllers have to go in and be perfect every single day.”
Daniels also noted the government is funded only through Jan. 31, and said that date will weigh on employees in the industry given the hardships many faced during the recent 42-day shutdown.
