The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to announce which airports will see cancellations on Thursday, leaving airlines and travellers alike to adjust plans last minute as the government shutdown stretches on with no end in sight.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is initiating a 10 per cent reduction in capacity at 40 major U.S. airports, the department said in a statement, and will release that list on Thursday.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Wednesday that he would order the flight cuts to ensure aviation safety in the midst of a U.S. government shutdown.
Speaking on FOX News on Thursday, Duffy said air travel in the U.S. was “going to be rough heading into the holidays if we are still in the shutdown.”
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However, he added that “I would still be booking your flights.”
“This data-based decision is designed to alleviate pressure on our air traffic controllers required to keep the skies safe,” USDOT said in a social media post.
The shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, has forced some 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay.
Duffy had warned on Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continued another week, it could lead to “mass chaos” and force him to close some of the national airspace to air traffic.
Staffing shortages have already caused tens of thousands of flight delays nationwide, with U.S. airlines estimating that at least 3.2 million travellers have been affected.
Airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest were inundated with passenger queries on social media platforms like X, as flyers sought clarity on travel plans.
— with files from Global’s Sean Boynton and Reuters
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
