FAA will reduce air traffic by 10% at many airports to maintain safety

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration will reduce air traffic by 10% at many busy airports, the agency said Wednesday, in a move intended to keep the nation's airspace safe during the government shutdown.

The FAA plans to reduce air traffic in 40 "high-volume markets" beginning Friday. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters the agency wants to reduce the pressure at those airports before safety is compromised.

"We just can't ignore it," Bedford said, "when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating."

The FAA already has been delaying flights at some airports because of widespread staffing shortages among air traffic controllers.

The government shutdown, now in its sixth week, has taken a growing toll on those controllers, who are required to work without pay until it ends. Some have taken on second jobs, and many are calling out sick. Even before the shutdown, the system was more than 3,000 certified controllers short.

Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy say they would meet with airline leaders to figure out how to implement the reductions fairly before announcing the details.

They did not immediately announce which airports would be affected by the reductions. But the agency has been reporting persistent staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities around some of the nation's busiest airports, including major airline hubs in Dallas, Houston, Newark, N.J., and Phoenix.

Earlier this week, NPR spoke to several air traffic controllers who say morale at the agency already was low before the government shutdown, due to a longstanding staffing shortage across the system, mandatory overtime and stagnating wages. They said morale has fallen even lower during the longest government shutdown on record. They asked NPR not to use their names because they're afraid of retaliation from the FAA.

"I think we're reaching a tipping point," said one air traffic controller who works at a facility in the Midwest that handles high-altitude traffic. "This is kind of about the point in the last shutdown where people just started getting fed up with it."

It was more than a month into the last government shutdown in 2018 and 2019 when a small number of air traffic controllers in a few key facilities called in sick, causing major disruptions at airports up and down the East Coast.

The reductions announced Wednesday could cause even more disruption, forcing airlines to cancel or reschedule thousands of flights per day.

Secretary Duffy acknowledged that will likely cause widespread frustration. But he said the decision was not taken lightly.

"Our heart goes out to those who will have flights disrupted," said Duffy. "This is what we feel like we have to do to make sure we maintain that safety profile."

Bedford said he could not recall a similar situation during his 35 years working in aviation.

"Then again, we're in a new territory in terms of government shutdowns," Bedford said. "And we look forward to a time when we can get back to business as usual."

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