🔗 Share this article

With the unprecedented federal government closure approaches day 38, US airspace are set to become somewhat quieter. The same cannot be said for US airports.

Safety Measures Enacted

Donald Trump’s aviation regulatory body has said flight numbers are being lowered to uphold air traffic control operational integrity during the federal government shutdown, setting a new duration record and with little indication of a solution between GOP lawmakers and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget standoff.

Airline regulators selected “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a move that would force airlines to cancel thousands of flights and trigger a chain reaction of scheduling problems and hold-ups at key American travel hubs.

Government Commentary

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, stated on social media Thursday that the decision was “not politically driven” but rather “involving evaluation the data and alleviating accumulating danger in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” the official added.

Airline Cutbacks

Analysts forecast numerous potentially thousands of flights could be canceled. These reductions could represent approximately 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats collectively, according to an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The targeted air hubs covering over 25 states include the most trafficked across the US – featuring Atlanta, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, DFW, Orlando, LAX, MIA and San Francisco. Within major metropolitan areas – such as New York, Houston and Illinois hub – multiple airports will be involved.

The trio of airports serving the DC metro – Washington Dulles international, BWI and DCA – will be affected, certainly generating schedule changes for government officials as well as additional passengers.

Additional Developments

• Here’s the list of US airports cutting flights on Friday due to federal government funding lapse.
• A previous justice department staffer who hurled a sandwich at a government officer during the administration's law enforcement surge in DC received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rebuke of the federal intervention.
• Several liberal representatives viewed Tuesday’s major voting successes as indication they should stand firm and extract as much as possible from Republicans before approving the termination of the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her announcement that after 20 terms in Congress she intends to step down.
• The thinktank head, the director of the conservative thinktank behind the conservative initiative, issued an apology for backing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to resign.