The Federal Aviation Administration is reducing air traffic by 10 percent due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Hundreds of flights across the United States have been canceled following an order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily reduce air traffic by 10% at the nation’s 40 largest airports to maintain safety amid a shortage of air traffic controllers due to the government shutdown.
More than 790 flights scheduled for Friday were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.
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The number is already four times the daily cancellation total on Thursday and is likely to increase, with nearly 500 cancellations so far on Saturday, the website said.
The FAA issued the order Thursday in response to increased absenteeism among air traffic controllers amid a record U.S. government shutdown, while Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at odds over legislation to fund government services.
“Since the beginning of the shutdown, air traffic controllers have been working without pay,” the FAA order states.
“As a result, both pilots and air traffic controllers have increasingly reported that the system is under strain. Over the past weekend, there were 2,740 delays at various airports,” it said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the flight cancellations were not a political move but a proactive safety decision as the shutdown entered its 38th day on Friday.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our No. 1 job is safety. This is not about politics. It’s about evaluating the data and mitigating the risks that are built into the system as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay,” Duffy said.
“It’s safe to fly today, and the proactive steps we’re taking will ensure it will continue to be safe next week,” he said.
.@USDOT has many responsibilities, but our top job is safety.
This isn’t about politics. It is important to evaluate data and mitigate the risks that are built into the system when administrators continue to work without pay.
You can safely board a plane today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/YRrq5sdy4T
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 7, 2025
The FAA’s phased reduction of air traffic next week is scheduled to cut air traffic by 4% on Friday and end at 10% by Nov. 14.
The FAA’s order also specifies that airlines do not have to cut international flights, but the decision will be left to the airlines’ discretion.
Affected airports include Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Denver Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
FAA Administrator Brian Bedford said the FAA administrator would not hesitate to take “further action,” suggesting further flight reductions could be made in the future.
The FAA’s decision puts fresh pressure on Senate Democrats seeking to block government spending bills on health care as the U.S. prepares for the busiest travel day of the year at the end of November.
The FAA hired just over 14,000 air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2024, according to its website.
They are among 730,000 “essential” federal workers who have been working without pay for the past five weeks, and another 670,000 have been furloughed, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center.
