Crystal Dike
The U.S. Airport Shutdown crisis may deepen this week as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday warned that the government will cut air travel capacity by 10% at 40 major airports beginning Friday, if the ongoing shutdown is not resolved.
The warning comes amid growing strain in the aviation sector, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reporting cases of fatigue among air traffic controllers forced to work without pay. FAA chief Bryan Bedford, speaking alongside Duffy, said the situation was unprecedented.
> “It is unusual, just as the shutdown is unusual — just as the fact that our controllers haven’t been paid for a month is unusual,” Bedford said.
The partial government shutdown, which began on October 1, has become the longest in U.S. history, forcing about 1.4 million federal workers either to work without pay or to stay home on compulsory leave. The ongoing Airport Shutdown threatens to paralyze the nation’s air travel system if Congress fails to approve a new funding budget.
Union officials have reported rising stress levels among aviation staff, with some air traffic controllers taking second jobs to cope with financial hardship.
According to Reuters, the FAA will phase in flight cuts gradually — 4% on Friday, 5% on Saturday, 6% on Sunday, and reaching 10% by next week. The names of the affected airports, all high-traffic locations, will be announced Thursday.
Officials estimate the cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day, marking a major disruption under the Airport Shutdown scenario.
Bedford said the step was necessary to uphold safety standards:
> “We are seeing pressures build in a way that, if left unchecked, would compromise the safety of the world’s safest airline system.”
Duffy assured that U.S. air travel remains safe for now but warned that additional restrictions could be imposed if the Airport Shutdown persists.
American Airlines said it is awaiting more details from the FAA but expects “the vast majority” of customer travel to remain unaffected. Southwest Airlines said it is reviewing the potential impact and will inform customers as soon as possible, while Delta Airlines declined to comment.
Since October 1, airports across the country have faced mounting operational strain. Some have temporarily grounded flights due to staff shortages, while others rely on controllers from neighboring airports.
Nick Daniels, president of the union representing more than 20,000 aviation workers, described the hardship as severe:
> “Air traffic controllers are texting, ‘I don’t even have enough money to put gas in my car to come to work.’”
Duffy earlier noted that nearly half of the country’s 30 major airports are suffering staff shortages and warned of sanctions against controllers who fail to report to work during the Airport Shutdown.
> “They have to make a decision — do I go to work without a paycheck and can’t feed my family, or do I drive for Uber or DoorDash?” he said on ABC on Sunday.
The Transportation Department continues to urge Congress to resolve the funding standoff and bring an end to the Airport Shutdown, restoring full operations to the National Airspace System.