In official letters sent last Monday, the FAA warned that companies could face financial penalties of up to “$75,000” for each flight that does not comply with the specified reduction percentages, which ranged between “3%”, “4%” and “6%” depending on the airport. The FAA gave companies a period of “30 days” to submit documents confirming their compliance with the orders.
This emergency directive was issued in conjunction with the start of the shutdown on “October 1” which lasted for “43 days”, and caused significant delays due to the absence of many air traffic controllers who were not being paid. The FAA explained that reducing the number of flights was “an unprecedented but necessary measure to ensure safety” in light of the staff shortages.
After the end of the shutdown on “November 12”, airlines expected these measures to be eased, but the matter remained in place. According to the analytics firm “Cirium”, despite the continuing requirement to reduce flights by “6%” on “November 14”, only “2%” of scheduled flights within the United States were canceled.
Between “November 7” and “November 16”, more than “10,000” flights were canceled before the FAA officially announced the lifting of all restrictions.
For its part, “Delta Air Lines” disclosed on Wednesday that it had incurred financial losses of “$200 million” as a result of the shutdown, which is the first major financial announcement from an airline revealing the economic impact of the crisis.
