US airlines will resume normal operations on Monday after government-ordered flight restrictions. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation have reversed cuts at 40 major airports for better staffing following the end of a government shutdown, Bloomberg reported.
On Sunday, the Department of Transportation and the FAA announced they would lift restrictions at 40 major U.S. airports starting Monday at 6 a.m. New York time. On Friday, officials reduced flight cuts from 6% to a 3% cap.
“Today’s decision to lift the order reflects the continued decline in staffing concerns within the nation’s airspace system and allows us to return to normal operations,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement.
The announcement comes days after US President Donald Trump signed a funding bill that ended a historic 43-day shutdown that left federal workers without pay, stranded travelers at airports and caused long queues at food banks, PTI reported.
Impact of shutdown on US airlines
The flight reductions first came into effect on 7 November at a rate of 4% and were to be gradually increased to 10% by 14 November. But the government froze the hike at 6% on Wednesday, just before President Donald Trump signed legislation to end the longest federal shutdown in US history.
Bedford and Transport Minister Sean Duffy said the reduction in flight capacity was essential to reduce the burden on air traffic controllers who had been working without pay during the shutdown, Bloomberg reported.
Since the end of the shutdown, staff levels have continued to “return” to their place, they said. The positive trend continued over the weekend, six employees were fired on Friday, eight on Saturday and only one on Sunday. That contrasts with a record 81 employee activations on Nov. 8, according to the statement.
Even before the order was canceled, data from aviation analytics firm Cirium indicated that airlines had not canceled all flights requested by the government over the weekend.
Cirium noted that only 0.25% of flights were canceled Sunday at the 40 airports affected by the FAA order. Ending the emergency order also removes restrictions on general aviation operators at some airports, the report said.
Several leaders in the United States airline industry have previously urged Congress to end the shutdown over concerns about unpaid air traffic controllers, especially ahead of the busy holiday season, Fortune reported.
The airline industry remained a major focus during the government shutdown, with more than 13,000 air traffic controllers, considered essential workers, working without pay. This has increased stress on staff who have been understaffed for more than a decade. Before the shutdown, 91% of US air traffic control centers were operating below the Federal Aviation Administration’s recommended staffing levels. During the shutdown, many controllers worked six days a week, often exceeding 60 hours.
