Duffy stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already begun reducing the number of flights at the busiest airports, due to a number of air traffic controllers being absent from work because they have not received their salaries for nearly a month.
The minister indicated that these reductions began at 4% on Friday, and are scheduled to reach 10% by November 14, and will be applied daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time, which will directly affect all commercial airlines.
According to the flight tracking site “Flight Aware,” more than 1,375 flights were canceled as of 10:30 a.m. ET, after a day that saw more than 1,500 flights canceled on Saturday.
Duffy did not rule out further reductions that could reach 20% if the crisis continues, saying in an interview with Fox News Sunday:
“The longer the controllers are out of work because they are not getting paid, the worse the crisis gets.”
He added: “With Thanksgiving week approaching, we will see a sharp slowdown in air traffic, as millions of Americans will seek to travel to visit their families, but with fewer controllers, only limited flights will take off, and thousands of other flights will be canceled.”
The minister added: “We will face widespread disruptions, and Americans will be outraged. We have to be honest: the situation will not improve, but will worsen unless air traffic controllers are paid.”
Duffy pointed out that the shortage of air traffic controllers has been an ongoing problem facing the United States for years, explaining that some of them are applying for retirement at an accelerating rate of between 15 and 20 controllers per day due to the current shutdown.
He also revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered via text message to send military observers to help, but he explained that the extent of their eligibility to work on civilian aviation systems remains uncertain.
Responding to Democratic accusations that canceling flights is a “political tactic,” Duffy said: “I took this action to protect people’s safety, not to achieve political gains. I am doing my best amid the chaos we inherited from the Democrats.”
