Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The US Government will reduce flight operations by 10 per cent at 40 major airports beginning November 7 morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced, citing mounting strain on air traffic control operations as the government shutdown entered its 36th day, the longest in US history. The move, described as a precautionary measure, is expected to affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights daily, including commercial and cargo operations. Officials did not immediately specify which airports would be subject to reductions, though further details are expected.
“This is proactive,” Duffy said at a press conference, adding that the measure has no fixed end date. “We thought 10 per cent was the right number based on the pressure we were seeing.” The announcement comes a day after Duffy warned of ‘chaos’ in the skies next week if the shutdown continued. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the step was necessary to maintain safety standards amid staffing shortages caused by the ongoing shutdown, which has left thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners working without pay.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency’s data showed signs of operational strain and fatigue among personnel. “As we slice the data more granularly, we are seeing pressures build in a way that we don’t feel, if we allow it to go unchecked, will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world,” he said. Air traffic controllers, designated as essential workers, are required to work even without pay.
The 10 per cent reduction in scheduled flight capacity marks an unprecedented action taken by the FAA during a government shutdown.
