The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted flight restrictions that caused significant delays and cancellations across the United States during the recent government shutdown. The restrictions, which affected 40 airports, were implemented due to a shortage of air traffic controllers who worked without pay during the longest government funding stoppage in U.S. history.
Operations returned to pre-shutdown levels starting at 6 a.m. Monday, according to FAA officials. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy thanked the FAA team for keeping skies safe and said the focus would now shift to hiring more controllers and building a new air traffic control system. On Monday, FlightAware reported over 650 delayed flights and 30 cancellations, but these were attributed to weather or other issues, not the shutdown.
During the shutdown, total flights in the U.S. were cut by 6% to maintain safety, with Duffy warning that up to 10% could have been grounded. Staffing triggers—caused by controller shortages—peaked at 81 on November 8 but fell to just one by November 16. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford praised the teams for their focus on safety and announced the rescinding of the order as staffing concerns declined.
Concerns had mounted ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but a government funding agreement allowed the cuts to end. Aviation analyst Mike Arnot said that back pay for controllers would quickly re-establish stability, and Thanksgiving travel should not be impacted. Passengers reported minimal disruption, with Bruce Clark telling Tampa Fox 13 he had a clean transaction, and Kevin Brown telling ABC 7 it was great news for holiday travel.
President Donald Trump suggested giving $10,000 bonuses to controllers who worked through the shutdown, though he admitted he did not know where the money would come from. He also criticised controllers who called in sick, suggesting their pay could be docked.
