In an effort to alleviate pressure caused by a shortage of air traffic controllers, exacerbated by the government shutdown, the United States will reduce the number of flights by 10% at 40 major U.S. airports, starting next Friday, a measure that could negatively impact the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Shawn Dafty explained on Wednesday that “the Federal Aviation Administration will begin reducing the number of flights later this week to maintain the safety of air travel.” He added that this comes in light of the challenges posed by the ongoing government shutdown, in addition to a national shortage of air traffic controllers, estimated at about 2,000 controllers according to the Financial Times.
In a joint press conference with Dafty, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Brian Bedford, stated that “the names of the forty affected airports will be announced today, Thursday,” stressing that the decision will be “data-driven.”
