Air travel disruptions continued into Sunday as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintained flight restrictions at 40 major U.S. airports, deepening a nationwide crisis that has left thousands of passengers stranded amid the longest government shutdown in American history.
As of 5:30 a.m. ET Sunday, more than 1,100 flights had already been canceled nationwide, according to tracking service FlightAware, while the FAA continued to struggle with severe staffing shortages in air traffic control towers and regional centers.
On Saturday, airlines canceled 1,521 flights and delayed over 6,400 others — topping Friday’s total of 1,024 cancellations. Since Friday, more than 3,700 flights have been scrapped across the U.S., with ripple effects expected to last well into the new week.
Transportation officials said the situation remains critical, with more than 40 air traffic control facilities triggering emergency staffing alerts as controllers continue to work without pay during the shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told news men on Friday that while domestic routes are being scaled back to manage the crisis, the FAA has avoided cutting international flights, citing obligations under global aviation treaties.
The FAA last week ordered airlines to reduce operations by up to 10% at high-impact airports — including LaGuardia, JFK, Newark, and LAX — in a bid to maintain safety standards despite dwindling staff levels.
With Thanksgiving travel fast approaching, aviation experts warn that continued disruptions could snowball into one of the most chaotic travel seasons in recent memory unless the shutdown ends soon.
