🔗 Share this article Administration Reduces US Air Travel as Shutdown Drags On With the record-breaking federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US skies is about to get less congested. This doesn't apply for US air travel hubs. Precautionary Steps Implemented Donald Trump’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated flights are being reduced to maintain air traffic control safety during the federal government shutdown, currently the lengthiest in history and with no sign of a agreement between GOP lawmakers and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget impasse. Airline regulators identified “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6 a.m. Eastern on Friday, a move that would force airlines to call off thousands of journeys and trigger a chain reaction of scheduling problems and delays at some of the nation’s largest airports. Government Commentary The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, stated on X Thursday that the move was “not politically driven” but rather “involving evaluation the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue working without pay”. “It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” the official remarked. Travel Disruptions Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent up to 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats collectively, based on an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium. Impacted Locations The involved terminals covering more than two dozen states include the busiest ones across the US – including Atlanta, North Carolina's city, Denver, DFW, Orlando, LAX, MIA and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities – including New York, Houston and Chicago – multiple airports will be involved. The trio of airports operating in the nation's capital region – Washington Dulles international, Baltimore/Washington international and DCA – will be impacted, inevitably causing delays and cancellations for lawmakers as well as other travelers. Additional Developments This is the compilation of American air terminals reducing air travel on Friday because of federal government closure. An ex-DOJ worker who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during the current law enforcement surge in DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rebuke of the federal intervention. Several liberal representatives saw Tuesday’s major voting successes as evidence they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from GOP members before agreeing to end the lengthiest federal closure in history. Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, subsequent to her statement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she plans to retire. The thinktank head, the chief of the conservative thinktank behind the policy blueprint, issued an apology for endorsing the host's interview with Hitler supporter Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to step down.