Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced new airspace restrictions Wednesday as the ongoing federal government shutdown continues to strain the nation’s transportation system.
According to FOX Business, at a press conference, Duffy detailed measures aimed at reducing risks in national airspace.
“One of them, though, is going to be that there is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations,” Duffy told reporters. The restrictions will take effect Friday, impacting roughly 4,000 flights nationwide. The list of affected airports will be released Thursday.
The move comes amid growing concerns over staffing shortages and safety risks within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the broader aviation network.
The shutdown entered its 36th day Wednesday — the longest in U.S. history — and has significantly disrupted multiple sectors, including air travel.
Thousands of aviation workers, including 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers, have continued to work without pay. Despite their efforts, staffing levels have fallen, creating mounting pressure on the system.
On Monday, Duffy warned that the Trump administration would shut down the U.S. aviation system if the government closure made travel too dangerous.
He also cautioned that if the staffing crisis worsened, the FAA and Department of Transportation could be forced to delay or cancel flights, or even close portions of U.S. airspace.
Speaking about the workers, Duffy emphasized the strain on families.
“They’re the head of household. They have their spouse at home, they have a child or 2 or 3. And when they lose income, they are confronted with real-world difficulties in how they pay their bills,” he said.
“I do not want them to take side jobs,” Duffy continued. “I want them to show up for work. We have asked them to show up for work. But I’m not naive to understand that they’re trying that. We have seen staffing pressures throughout our airspace.”
On Oct. 31, the FAA reported that nearly half of the 30 busiest U.S. airports faced air traffic controller shortages, resulting in over 6,200 flight delays and 500 cancellations.
“We are working with the federal government to understand all details of the new reduction mandate and will strive to mitigate impacts to passengers and shippers,” Airlines for America said in a statement to FOX Business.
