U.S. airlines will be able to resume their normal operations starting this Monday, after more than a week of mandatory flight cuts imposed due to the federal government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Sunday night that they would lift the restrictions at 40 major airports across the country as of 6 a.m. on Monday. This decision marks the end of a measure that had reduced the rate of domestic flight cancellations from 6% to 3% the previous Friday.
Timeline of the Cuts: From 4% to a Freeze
The limitations began on November 7th with a 4% reduction in flight capacity, with the intention of progressively increasing it to 10% by November 14th. However, the government halted the increase on Wednesday, setting the reduction at 6%, just before President Donald Trump signed the legislation that ended the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history.
Official Justification: Safety and Pressure on Controllers
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford defended the measure as necessary to alleviate the burden on air traffic controllers, who continued to work without receiving their salaries during the shutdown.
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Both officials stated that the FAA assessed safety data, including pilot reports on controller responsiveness, before making the decision. However, they have not yet released specific figures or concrete findings, despite requests for this information from airline executives and legislators.
Expectations Following the Reopening
With the resumption of regular flights, U.S. air operations are expected to return to their normal pace. However, questions remain about the actual impact the shutdown had on operational safety and the efficiency of the air system, especially given the lack of public data from the FAA.
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