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Amid the historic federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US flight paths will become somewhat quieter. Contrastingly for US airports.

Precautionary Steps Put in Place

Donald Trump’s aviation regulatory body announced air travel is being curtailed to ensure air traffic control security during the federal government shutdown, currently the lengthiest in history and with little indication of a resolution between GOP lawmakers and Democrats to end the federal budget deadlock.

Airline regulators pinpointed “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to scrub numerous flights and cause a series of scheduling issues and setbacks at major US air terminals.

Government Commentary

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, stated on online platforms Thursday that the decision was “not about politics” but rather “involving evaluation the data and reducing accumulating danger in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” Duffy remarked.

Flight Cancellations

Specialists anticipate hundreds or even thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats total, according to an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The targeted air hubs including numerous states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including Atlanta, Charlotte, Colorado's hub, Texas metroplex, Florida destination, California gateway, Miami and SFO. In some of the biggest cities – such as New York, Houston and Chicago – multiple airports will be involved.

The trio of airports operating in the Washington DC area – Washington Dulles international, BWI and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be involved, certainly generating delays and cancellations for lawmakers as well as the flying public.

Related Updates

• This is the list of US airports reducing air travel on Friday because of federal government closure.
• A previous justice department staffer who hurled a sandwich at a government officer during Donald Trump’s law enforcement presence in Washington DC was acquitted of assault by a DC jury on Thursday marking another legal rejection of the federal action.
• Certain Democratic lawmakers interpreted Tuesday’s significant election victories as indication they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from conservative lawmakers before approving the termination of the record-breaking budget standoff in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, following her declaration that after 20 terms in Congress she intends to step down.
• Kevin Roberts, the director of the political research group behind the policy blueprint, issued an apology for endorsing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler supporter Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to resign.