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With the historic federal government standoff approaches day 38, US skies will become less congested. This doesn't apply for US airports.

Safety Measures Enacted

Donald Trump’s air traffic agency announced flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government closure, now the longest recorded and with no apparent progress of a solution between Republicans and Democrats to end the federal budget impasse.

Flight oversight bodies selected “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to call off thousands of journeys and trigger a cascade of scheduling problems and delays at key American travel hubs.

Administration Remarks

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, stated on online platforms Thursday that the decision was “unrelated to political motives” but rather “involving evaluation the data and reducing accumulating danger in the system as controllers continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” he added.

Airline Cutbacks

Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights might be called off. The cuts might account for as many as 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats combined, based on an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Targeted Terminals

The targeted air hubs spanning numerous states include the most trafficked across the US – such as Georgia's capital, CLT, DEN, DFW, Florida destination, Los Angeles, MIA and San Francisco. Within major metropolitan areas – like NYC, Texas city and Chicago – multiple airports will be impacted.

Each of the three air terminals operating in the DC metro – Dulles Airport, BWI Airport and DCA – will be involved, likely creating schedule changes for lawmakers as well as additional passengers.

Related Updates

• Here’s the roster of domestic airports cutting flights on Friday due to federal government closure.
• An ex-DOJ worker who tossed food at a federal agent during Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington DC received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal setback of the federal involvement.
• Some Democratic legislators viewed Tuesday’s significant election victories as evidence they should hold the line and secure the best deal from conservative lawmakers before consenting to conclude the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her declaration that after 20 terms in Congress she plans to retire.
• The thinktank head, the leader of the political research group behind the conservative initiative, expressed regret for endorsing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler supporter Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to step down.