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Amid the historic federal government shutdown stretches toward day 38, US flight paths is about to get less congested. This doesn't apply for US airports.

Safety Measures Implemented

Donald Trump’s air traffic agency announced air travel is being curtailed to maintain air traffic control operational integrity during the federal government funding lapse, now the longest recorded and with no sign of a agreement between conservative legislators and liberal officials to end the federal budget impasse.

Airline regulators identified “congested corridors” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a step requiring airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a cascade of scheduling problems and setbacks at key American travel hubs.

Government Commentary

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, wrote on social media Thursday that the move was “not politically driven” but rather “involving evaluation the data and reducing growing safety concerns in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” the official added.

Travel Disruptions

Specialists anticipate numerous potentially thousands of flights may be scrapped. These reductions might account for approximately 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, per an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The affected airports covering more than two dozen states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including Georgia's capital, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, Texas metroplex, Orlando, California gateway, Florida hotspot and SFO. Within major metropolitan areas – like NYC, Houston and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be involved.

Each of the three air terminals serving the DC metro – Washington Dulles international, Baltimore/Washington international and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be affected, likely creating schedule changes for government officials as well as other travelers.

Related Updates

• Below is the compilation of American air terminals decreasing flights on Friday due to federal government funding lapse.
• An ex-DOJ worker who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during the administration's law enforcement surge in DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rejection of the federal involvement.
• Certain Democratic lawmakers interpreted Tuesday’s significant election victories as evidence they should stand firm and extract as much as possible from GOP members before approving the termination of the record-breaking budget standoff in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, subsequent to her announcement that after 20 terms in Congress she intends to step down.
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