🔗 Share this article Government Reduces US Flights as Government Closure Continues With the unprecedented federal government closure approaches day 38, US airspace will become less congested. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs. Protective Actions Put in Place The current administration's air traffic agency has said flights are being reduced to maintain air traffic control operational integrity during the federal government shutdown, now the longest recorded and with little indication of a agreement between Republicans and liberal officials to end the federal budget impasse. Airline regulators selected “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a step requiring airlines to call off thousands of journeys and create a cascade of scheduling issues and setbacks at some of the nation’s largest airports. Official Statement The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, commented on X Thursday that the action was “not politically driven” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and alleviating accumulating danger in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”. “Air travel remains secure today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” he added. Flight Cancellations Experts predict hundreds or even thousands of flights may be scrapped. The flight decreases may constitute up to 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats combined, per an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium. Targeted Terminals The affected airports spanning over 25 states include the highest-volume locations across the US – such as Georgia's capital, Charlotte, Colorado's hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando, California gateway, MIA and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities – such as NYC, Texas city and Illinois hub – various airports will be involved. All three airports serving the DC metro – IAD, BWI and DCA – will be involved, likely creating delays and cancellations for elected representatives as well as other travelers. Other Developments Below is the roster of domestic airports cutting flights on Friday as a result of federal government funding lapse. A former Department of Justice employee who hurled a sandwich at a federal officer during Donald Trump’s law enforcement presence in DC was acquitted of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rebuke of the federal intervention. Certain Democratic lawmakers interpreted Tuesday’s significant election victories as proof they should hold the line and extract as much as possible from Republicans before agreeing to end the record-breaking budget standoff in history. Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her statement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she will leave office. The thinktank head, the chief of the right-leaning policy organization behind the policy blueprint, expressed regret for endorsing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to step down.