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Amid the unprecedented federal government standoff approaches day 38, US skies is about to get less congested. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs.

Precautionary Steps Put in Place

The federal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated air travel is being curtailed to uphold air traffic control security during the federal government funding lapse, currently the lengthiest in history and with little indication of a solution between Republicans and Democrats to end the federal budget impasse.

Airline regulators selected “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a move that would force airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a series of scheduling issues and delays at major US air terminals.

Official Statement

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, stated on online platforms Thursday that the decision was “not politically driven” but rather “about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” the official stated.

Travel Disruptions

Analysts forecast hundreds or even thousands of flights might be called off. These reductions could represent as many as 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats total, per an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The affected airports including numerous states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including ATL, Charlotte, Denver, DFW, Florida destination, LAX, Miami and SFO. Among key urban centers – like New York, Houston and Chicago – multiple airports will be affected.

All three airports serving the nation's capital region – Washington Dulles international, Baltimore/Washington international and DCA – will be involved, likely creating flight disruptions for elected representatives as well as the flying public.

Related Updates

• Here’s the list of US airports decreasing flights on Friday due to federal government closure.
• A former Department of Justice employee who tossed food at a federal agent during the administration's law enforcement presence in the capital received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.
• Several liberal representatives interpreted Tuesday’s big electoral wins as evidence they should maintain their position and gain maximum concessions from conservative lawmakers before approving the termination of the longest government shutdown in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “bold, groundbreaking” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, following her statement that after 20 terms in Congress she plans to retire.
• The conservative leader, the chief of the right-leaning policy organization behind the conservative initiative, has apologized for endorsing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, but is declining demands to resign.