Trump administration officials said the US government will cut airline traffic by 10 percent in 40 “high-volume markets” starting Friday if the government shutdown does not end by then.
The announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Brian Bedford did not specify which 40 airports would be cut.
It said a full list would be announced Thursday, with potential cuts at the nation’s 30 busiest airports, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas and Washington, DC. The cuts will impact cargo, private and passenger traffic.
Reuters reported that the cuts will start at 4 percent on Friday, increase to 5 percent on Saturday and 6 percent on Sunday, before reaching 10 percent next week, and international flights will be exempted from the initial cuts.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates the cuts will reduce 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 airline seats.
The comments come after Mr Duffy warned earlier this week that the US could close parts of its airspace if the shutdown did not end in a record-breaking 36th day.
Mr Duffy and Mr Bedford repeatedly framed the decision as a pre-emptive, security and data-driven measure. Mr. Bedford said air traffic is currently operating safely, but the FAA is concerned by widespread reports of flight controller fatigue.
“As we break down the data more broadly, we are seeing that there are pressures growing that we don’t realize, if we let it go unchecked, we will continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world,” Mr Bedford said.
“Many of these workers are heads of household,” Mr Duffy said. “When their income drops they face real-world difficulties figuring out how to pay their bills.”
The 10 percent cut is intended to ease the strain on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown.
Mr. Duffy said the FAA was offering cash bonuses to retired air traffic controllers to remain on the staff, and the FAA Academy was increasing recruitment in efforts to ease the shortage.
Mr. Bedford said the FAA would meet with airline representatives to discuss how to implement the traffic reductions. Mr Bedford and Mr Duffy said further action was likely if the shutdown continued and was deemed necessary for passenger safety.
When asked how to ensure routes or airlines are not disproportionately affected, or how easily the FAA expects the cuts to happen, he did not provide specifics, noting that the agency estimates it handles more than 44,000 flights and three million passengers per day.
The reduction in air traffic is expected to increase flight delays and longer security wait times, which have plagued U.S. airports since the shutdown began.
“In my 35-year history in the aviation market I am not aware that we have ever faced a situation where we would have to take such steps,” Mr Bedford said. “We’re in new territory in terms of a government shutdown.”
The shutdown, which began on October 1, has since led to a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers, according to the administration, with at least 11,000 more receiving zero pay despite working as essential workers over the past two weeks.
The FAA is already about 3,500 positions short of targeted staffing levels.
Mr. Duffy said controllers received partial payments at the beginning of the shutdown and received “a big zero” on their checks two weeks ago, and the same could be expected tomorrow.
On Wednesday morning, the shutdown entered its 36th day, becoming the longest shutdown in United States history. Mr Duffy’s tweets announcing a 10 per cent cut in staff came after he posted a post with AI-generated art blaming congressional Democrats for the shutdown.
Additional reporting – Reuters
