The federal government shutdown-spurred airport chaos is about to get a complete lot worse.
The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned Wednesday it’s going to scale back flight volumes by 10 p.c throughout 40 main airports in response, a transfer that might threaten 3,000 to 4,500 flights each day. The cuts will have an effect on “excessive quantity” markets, together with in Atlanta, Dallas, New York Metropolis and Los Angeles, based on CBS. The FAA has not formally introduced which airports can have their capability lower.
“I’m not conscious in my 35-year historical past within the aviation market the place we’ve had a scenario the place we’re taking these sorts of measures,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford mentioned at a information convention, based on the AP.
The federal government shutdown, which is now the longest in US historical past, has already been inflicting hundreds of delays every day, in addition to lengthy waits at airport safety. Some main airports have even been pressured to function with out air site visitors management for hours at a time.
Air site visitors controllers and TSA brokers have missed a number of paychecks because of the shutdown. However each are thought of important authorities workers that requires them to proceed working.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been one of many extra vocal members of President Trump’s cupboard in heaping scorn on Democrats in the course of the shutdown, together with posting offensive AI-generated photos of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries on X. And Democrats have accused him of utilizing his management over the nation’s airspace as leverage within the stalemate. Earlier this week, Duffy advised CNBC that he may “shut the entire airspace down” if the shutdown drags on.
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