Major airlines are preparing for a third consecutive day of flight reductions mandated by the government due to increasing shortages in air traffic control staffing, causing widespread disruptions to flights on Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration has directed airlines to decrease daily flights by 4 percent at 40 major airports since Friday, citing safety concerns related to air traffic control operations. This measure comes amidst a 40-day long shutdown that has resulted in deficiencies in air traffic controllers’ availability, as they, along with other federal employees, have not received their pay for several weeks.
The flight cutbacks are set to escalate, with reductions scheduled to increase to 6 percent by Tuesday and further to 10 percent by November 14. The FAA reported that as of Saturday, there were staffing shortages affecting 42 airport towers and other key air traffic control facilities.