Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST, the agency announced in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
Citing safety concerns amid growing staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. This order had been in place since November 7, affecting thousands of flights across the country. Impacted airports included major hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.
Initially, the flight cuts started at 4% and later increased to 6%. However, on Friday, the FAA rolled the restrictions back to 3%, citing continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the record 43-day shutdown ended.
According to the FAA statement, a safety team recommended rescinding the order after conducting “detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.” The statement also acknowledged reports of non-compliance by carriers during the emergency order and noted that the agency is reviewing and assessing enforcement options, though it did not provide further details.
Flight cancellations peaked on November 9, when airlines cut more than 2,900 flights due to the FAA order, ongoing controller shortages, and severe weather in parts of the country. Conditions began to improve throughout the week as more controllers returned to work amid news that Congress was close to reaching a deal to end the shutdown.
This progress also prompted the FAA to pause plans for further rate increases; the agency had initially aimed for a 10% reduction in flights.
It’s important to note that air traffic controllers were among the federal employees who had to continue working without pay throughout the shutdown, missing two paychecks during the impasse.
While Transportation Secretary Duffy has not shared specific safety data that prompted the flight cuts, he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, an increase in runway incursions, and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.
Airline leaders remain optimistic that operations will rebound in time for the Thanksgiving travel period now that the FAA has lifted its order.
https://abc7.com/post/faa-lifts-order-slashing-flights-allowing-commercial-airlines-resume-regular-schedules/18163057/
