Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST, the agency announced in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
Citing safety concerns amid growing staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities during the government shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. This order, in place since November 7, affected thousands of flights across the country, impacting major hubs including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.
Initially, flight cuts started at 4% and later increased to 6%. However, on Friday, the FAA rolled back restrictions to a 3% reduction, attributing the change to continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing following the end of the record 43-day shutdown on November 12.
This weekend saw the lowest number of flight cancellations since the order took effect, falling well below the 3% cuts mandated by the FAA for Saturday and Sunday. Flight tracking website FlightAware reported 149 flights canceled on Sunday and 315 on Saturday.
According to the FAA statement, an agency safety team recommended rescinding the order after “detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.” The statement also acknowledged reports of non-compliance by carriers during the emergency order and noted that the agency is reviewing enforcement options, though it did not provide further details.
Flight cancellations peaked on November 9, when more than 2,900 flights were cut due to the FAA order, ongoing controller shortages, and severe weather conditions in parts of the country. Conditions improved throughout the following week as more controllers returned to work, encouraged by news that Congress was close to resolving the shutdown. This progress led the FAA to pause plans for further rate increases—the agency had initially targeted a 10% reduction in flights.
During the shutdown, air traffic controllers were among the federal employees required to work without pay, missing two paychecks amid the impasse. Secretary Duffy has not shared specific safety data prompting the flight restrictions but cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, increased runway incursions, and pilot concerns regarding controller responses.
Airline leaders have expressed optimism that operations will rebound in time for the Thanksgiving travel period now that the FAA has lifted its order.
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Yamat reported from Las Vegas and Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.
https://whdh.com/news/faa-lifts-order-slashing-flights-allowing-commercial-airlines-to-resume-their-regular-schedules/