US cancels hundreds of flights as shutdown squeezes air traffic control

Hundreds of flights across the United States were cancelled Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered airlines to scale back operations at the nation’s busiest airports, citing safety concerns amid a deepening government shutdown.

More than 790 flights were scrapped, four times Thursday’s total, with nearly 500 more already cancelled for Saturday, according to the tracking site FlightAware.

The FAA’s directive, issued late Thursday, requires a phased 10 percent cut in air traffic at 40 major airports by next week, including Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago O’Hare and New York’s JFK. The move follows mounting absences among air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay for more than a month.

“Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay,” the FAA said. “This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the decision as “a proactive safety measure, not a political statement.” He added:

“It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe next week because of the actions we’re taking.”

The 38-day shutdown, now the longest in US history, stems from a congressional standoff over healthcare funding. Roughly 730,000 “essential” federal employees, including 14,000 air traffic controllers, are still on the job without pay, while another 670,000 remain furloughed.

The FAA’s order spares international flights for now, but Administrator Bryan Bedford warned more cuts could follow if the shutdown drags on.

“We will not hesitate to take further action,” he said.