Airlines across the country are now under federal scrutiny as regulators move forward with an investigation into whether carriers complied with mandated flight reductions during the nation’s prolonged government shutdown.
According to The Associated Press, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Friday that it notified U.S. airlines earlier in the week that they must produce documentation showing they adhered to emergency flight-cut orders at 40 major airports.
Those letters warned that companies could be fined up to $75,000 for each flight that exceeded the required reductions.
Carriers were given 30 days to respond.
The mandate was implemented during the 43-day shutdown that began Oct. 1, when staffing shortages among unpaid air traffic controllers led to mounting delays and operational strain across the country.
Some controllers missed work due to exhaustion or because they were forced to take on second jobs to stay afloat, according to the FAA.
Officials said the agency had never before required all commercial airlines to reduce domestic flights. But with limited staffing in towers and facilities, regulators said the cuts were necessary to preserve safety until operations stabilized.
Once the shutdown ended on Nov. 12, many airlines appeared to assume the FAA would loosen or lift the caps. But with a 6% reduction still in force on Nov. 14, only about 2% of scheduled departures were canceled nationwide, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm.
The 10-day period between Nov. 7, when the order took effect, and Nov. 16, when the FAA lifted all restrictions, saw more than 10,000 canceled flights.
Delta Air Lines disclosed Wednesday that it lost an estimated $200 million during that period — the first major carrier to publicly quantify the financial fallout.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has not released the underlying safety data he says justified the reductions.
However, he referenced a series of troubling reports during the shutdown, including instances of aircraft narrowing their separation distances, an uptick in runway incursions, and pilots expressing concerns about controller responses.
Major hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta were among the most heavily affected by cancellations under the emergency order. FAA officials noted that the agency initially projected a 10% reduction would be necessary before settling on the lower targets.
Now, with the shutdown over and the restrictions lifted, airlines must demonstrate they followed the rules — or face steep penalties.
