Four New York City-area airports are among those that may be affected by a 10% cut to air traffic set to be imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration amid the ongoing government shutdown, according to NBC News.
Both LaGuardia Airport and JFK Airport were on the list of 40 that could be impacted by the cuts, according to NBC News, as were New Jersey’s Newark International Airport and Teterboro Airport. The latter is by far the smallest airport on the list, though is considered one of the busiest in the U.S. in terms of private aviation.
The full list of “high-volume markets” where flights are set to be reduced by one-tenth is set to be announced Thursday, with the cuts going into effect on Friday, said agency administrator Bryan Bedford. The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown, the FAA said.
Other major hubs on the list include Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.
Two airline sources confirmed to NBC News that the Department of Transportation told airlines on call Wednesday night that flight cuts will start at 4% Friday, then increase to 5% Saturday before ramping up to 10% the following week. A senior government official cautioned that nothing will be set until the announcement is made Thursday.
Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled — just before the start of the holiday travel season, which typically starts taking off in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”
Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.
Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference.
“We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.
Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined during the news conference to name specific cities and airports where they will slow air traffic, saying they wanted to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.
The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.
Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.
Duffy said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.
Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.
But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.
From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.
During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.
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