FAA takes first steps to restore flights after shutdown strain, but some limits remain

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday halved the number of flights that U.S. airlines must cut from their schedules at 40 airports as the country’s aviation system recovers from a shortage of air traffic controllers during the record government shutdown.

The agency said airlines will only have to cancel 3% of their flights beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday instead of 6%. Citing safety concerns, the FAA first ordered flights reduced at the busy airports on Nov. 7 as absences mounted at air traffic facilities and airport towers. Controllers were among the federal employees who were required to work while going unpaid during the shutdown.

Cancellations peaked last Sunday at nearly 3,000 flights, about 10% of the ones scheduled, as a result of the FAA order combined with continued controller shortages and bad weather in parts of the country. But the numbers started to improve as the week went on and more controllers returned to work amid news of a possible shutdown deal in Congress, prompting the FAA to pause plans for further rate increases.

The rollback comes amid improved staffing levels after the 43-day shutdown ended Wednesday night, the FAA and Department of Transportation said, adding that they will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend and evaluate when normal operations can resume.

Before the FAA released its updated guidance, airlines already seemed to be anticipating a change. Despite the restrictions still in place, just 2% of flights scheduled to depart Friday from the U.S. were canceled, according to the aviation analytics firm Cirium. And by Friday evening, the flight-tracking site FlightAware was showing just 160 cancellations for Saturday.

The unprecedented order started with 4% cuts that later grew to 6%, leading to the cancellation of more than 11,800 flights between Nov. 7 and Friday. The FAA originally had a 10% target.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said safety metrics must improve before the order is lifted entirely.

Duffy hasn’t shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.

How long it will take for the aviation system to stabilize is unclear. The flight restrictions upended airline operations in just a matter of days. Many planes were rerouted and aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Airlines for America, the trade group of U.S. airlines, warned there could be residual effects for days.

Some experts predicted the problems could linger longer. But airline executives were optimistic that flying could quickly rebound ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week once the FAA order to cut flights is lifted.

In an appearance on “CBS Mornings” after the shutdown ended, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian predicted a return to normalcy “a lot faster than people think.”

“And normal for us is an incredibly safe, incredibly reliable, great experience,” he said. “Thanksgiving is going to be a great holiday period of travel.”

The nationwide shortage of controllers isn’t new, but the shutdown put a spotlight on the problem and likely made it worse. Duffy said that by the end of the shutdown, 15 to 20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.