US flights set to return to normal as shutdown-era aviation limits end

After weeks of chaos in US air travel, the Federal Aviation Administration says the turbulence is finally easing. Airlines will be allowed to resume normal schedules starting 6am Eastern Time on Monday, ending the emergency restrictions that slashed flight numbers at major airports during the government shutdown.

The FAA said on Sunday that staffing levels among air traffic controllers have stabilised enough to lift the order. At the height of the shutdown, controllers were calling out, working exhausted, or simply refusing to come in. That forced the agency to order sharp cuts at 40 airports, triggering thousands of cancellations and widespread delays.

President Donald Trump signed the bill reopening the government on Wednesday, ending the six-week standoff that had pushed the US aviation system to the brink.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the rollback reflects a “steady decline in staffing concerns.” Data from the agency shows the numbers clearly improving: staffing triggers dropped from 81 on November 8 to just one on Sunday.

Under the emergency order, airlines had been forced to trim flights by four percent by November 7 and six percent by November 10. On Friday, the FAA eased the cuts to three percent, citing improving conditions. But the agency also hinted that not every airline obeyed the rules, saying it is “reviewing and assessing enforcement options.”

Only 149 flights were cancelled on Sunday, according to FlightAware, well below the three percent cut still technically in place.