The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ended all flight restrictions at 40 major U.S. airports after weeks of reduced schedules prompted by the nation’s longest government shutdown.
The limits took effect Nov. 7 amid safety concerns and staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities. At first, flights were cut by about 4 percent, later rising to 6 percent at some of the country’s busiest hubs — including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
The rollback restores normal operations after thousands of flights were affected during the shutdown. FAA officials said staffing levels have returned to safe operating standards.
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Meanwhile, Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said it took more than two months for controllers to be “made whole” after going without pay during the 35-day government shutdown in 2019. He noted that some controllers may have left the job amid the recent shutdown, which could keep staffing levels lower for some time.
“This government shutdown is not a light switch,” he said. “It’s not just on and off. Air traffic controllers have to go in and be perfect every single day.”
Daniels also noted the government is funded only through Jan. 31, and said that date will weigh on employees in the industry given the hardships many faced during the recent 43-day shutdown.
