FAA says it plans to restore some flights after shutdown stress
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it plans to roll back some of the restrictions on commercial flights it implemented at 40 major U.S. airports during the shutdown.
The agency says the current mandatory flight cuts of 6% are being lowered to 3% even though the record 43-day shutdown ended on November 12. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said the restrictions would remain in place until staffing at air traffic control facilities stabilizes and safety metrics improve.
The unprecedented order, in effect since November 7, has affected thousands of flights. The FAA chief said troubling data showed the move was necessary to relieve pressure on the aviation system as the shutdown entered its second month and controller absences increased. Unpaid for more than a month, many controllers cited financial difficulties and the need to take on side jobs.
The flight cuts started at 4% and then grew to 6%. The FAA originally had a 10% goal, but officials held off on further rate increases because they said more controllers would come to work amid news that Congress was close to reaching a deal to end the shutdown.
Air traffic controllers lost two paychecks during the impasse.
Mario Tama via Getty Images
Duffy has not shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.
It is unclear how long it will take for the aviation system to stabilize. Flight restrictions disrupted air operations in just a matter of days. Many planes were diverted and are not where they are supposed to be. Airlines for America, the trade group for U.S. airlines, warned there could be residual effects for days.
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Some experts predicted the problems could persist longer, but airline executives were optimistic that flights could quickly return to normal ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week.
The nationwide driver shortage is not new, but the shutdown highlighted the problem and likely made it worse. Duffy said that at the end of the lockdown, between 15 and 20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.