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Airlines could be forced to cut up to 20% of all flights if the government shutdown continues, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned.
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told airlines to cut 4% of all flights at 40 major airports across the nation. The cuts will increase to 10% by 14 November.
Absences of air-traffic controllers forced the FAA to delay hundreds of flights at 10 airports including Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Newark.
The absences led to more than 5,300 flight delays.
At Reagan Washington National, delays averaged four hours, while 17% of flights were cancelled and nearly 40% delayed,
During the ongoing shutdown, which has so far lasted a record 38 days, 13,000 air-traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay.
Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20-40% of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said on Friday that the impact of the cancellations will increase over time.
“This level of cancellation is going to grow over time and that’s something that is going to be problematic,” Isom told CNBC.
The Trump administration is attempting to pressure the Democrats to agree to a deal that would allow the government to reopen and funding to resume.
