MAP: These airports are expected to have worst delays, cancellations until shutdown ends

(NEXSTAR) – The longest government shutdown in American history is taking its toll on air travel. Starting on Friday, airlines operating at 40 airports have been ordered to progressively cut the number of flights they operate.

The cuts are necessary, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says, to alleviate pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay during the federal government shutdown. The workers are instructed to continue coming into work, but some are struggling to make ends meet as they miss paychecks. In some cases, they are calling in sick to pick up gig work or a second job.

The Department of Transportation and FAA ordered airlines operating at the designated “high traffic airports” to start by cutting 4% of their flight volume on Friday.

By Tuesday, Nov. 11, they’ll be asked to cut 6%. By Nov. 13 the order moves up to 8%. The next day, Friday, Nov. 14, airlines are being told to cut 10% of flights.

The cuts could include up to 1,800 flights and about 268,000 seats combined, according to one estimate.

The 40 airports selected by the FAA for reductions include major hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark. You can see the full list of affected airports in the interactive map below:

In addition to flight delays and cancellations for passengers, the cuts also could disrupt package deliveries because two airports with major distribution centers are on the list. FedEx operates at the Memphis, Tennessee, airport and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, where there was a deadly cargo plane crash this week.

Even airports not shown on the map above could also experience significant disruptions. Air traffic control staffing is tight even when they government is up and running, and even a couple sick calls at a smaller airport can derail operations.

If the shutdown drags on more than another week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy floated the possibility of even further cuts to air traffic.

“If this continues, and I have more controllers who decide they can’t come to work, can’t control the airspace, but instead have to take a second job — with that, you might see 10 percent would have been a good number, because we might go to 15 percent or 20 percent,” he said at a Breitbart News event on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.