The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday that it would cut 10% of air traffic at 40 of the country’s busiest airports beginning Friday, a move that could lead to the cancellation of thousands of flights nationwide.
The move was announced as the Trump administration continued to pressure Democrats to end the government shutdown. The scaling down of flights could force air travelers to change plans at the last minute and could cause negative economic impacts nationally as the shutdown entered its record 37th day on Thursday.
The dramatic action is poised to cause major travel headaches and potential economic impacts for Americans amid the ongoing federal shutdown.
The Trump administration said it would reduce air traffic in 40 of the busiest markets in the U.S. if the shutdown continues. The cuts would take effect on Friday, potentially forcing hundreds of thousands of travelers to suddenly change plans. https://t.co/gob6UNQWR7 pic.twitter.com/bmfGbzdMWR
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 6, 2025
“I think it’s going to lead to more cancellations,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a news conference.
Duffy said the reductions were made to “alleviate the pressure” on air traffic controllers, who have not received a paycheck since mid-October and have been working without compensation since the shutdown began. He added that the affected markets would be announced on Thursday.
The FAA oversees more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft. The agency said the restrictions would remain in place as long as necessary.
For years, the FAA has identified 30 airports as being “core” facilities. They include sites in Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Dallas-Fort Worth and the Washington, D.C., area.
On Friday, the FAA said that half of the nation’s busiest airports — including the three in the New York metropolitan area and three serving Washington D.C. — were experiencing staffing shortages.
Earlier this week, Duffy warned about “mass chaos” if the shutdown continued, adding that the FAA could close parts of the nation’s airspace to traffic to avoid deeper problems.
“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators tell us we can take action today,” FAA chief Bryan Bedford said at the news conference. “The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we’ll come back and take additional measures.”
According to The New York Times, the FAA told airline industry officials that the cuts would begin with a 4% reduction on Friday and reach 10% by next week.
The reductions on short notice are likely to have an economic affect, Patrick Anderson, the chief executive of the Anderson Economic Group consulting firm in Michigan, told the newspaper.
“Delays have what we call ‘network effects’ in business economics,” Anderson said in an emailed statement. “Hold up a bunch of planes in one airport, and you get a cascading effect down the line.”
Bedford, a 35-year veteran of the aviation industry, said the moves were unprecedented, but added that the situation caused by the shutdown called for drastic action.
“We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns,” he said. “These are unusual times, and we look forward to a time when we can get back to business as usual.”
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