By Obinna Uballa
The United States is set to reduce scheduled flight capacity by 10 percent across 40 major air travel hubs beginning Friday, as the country’s longest government shutdown continues to paralyse federal operations.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the cuts at a White House briefing on Wednesday, noting that the prolonged funding deadlock in Congress has left critical aviation staff either furloughed or working without pay, AFP reported.
“There is going to be a 10 percent reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations,” Duffy said, confirming that the reductions will take effect this week.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford said the cuts would impact “high traffic environment markets,” with some of the nation’s busiest airports – including those in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York – expected to be affected. The FAA and Department of Transportation have yet to release the final list of airports.
The shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, began after Congress failed to approve new funding before September 30. More than 1.4 million federal workers have been furloughed or are working without pay, including over 60,000 air traffic controllers and TSA officers.
The strain on aviation labour has already led to delays, with rising absenteeism among unpaid staff prompting fears of deteriorating safety and severe travel disruption. During a previous shutdown in 2019, similar issues forced then-President Donald Trump to negotiate an end after flight operations began to destabilise.
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned last month that staffing-related delays had surged from five percent to more than 50 percent nationwide. “The longer the shutdown goes on, and as fewer air traffic controllers show up to work, the safety of the American people is thrown further into jeopardy,” he said.
However, negotiations remain stalled over a dispute on health care spending, the report said. Democrats insist that they will only vote to end the shutdown if expiring health insurance subsidies – considered essential for millions of Americans – are extended. Republicans, meanwhile, argue that health care should be addressed only after the government is reopened.
U.S President Donald Trump of has increased pressure during the impasse, threatening widespread federal layoffs and targeting domestic welfare programs. He also reiterated threats to halt Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits for 42 million Americans, though courts have blocked the move. The White House later clarified that it is still issuing partial SNAP payments “as quickly as we can.”
