40 airports to cut flights by 10% if shutdown continues, FAA says

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that ten percent of air traffic at 40 "high-traffic" U.S. airports will be cut starting Friday, if the government shutdown continues. The big picture: While it's currently unclear which airports will be impacted, staffing shortages from what is now the country's longest shutdown in history are delaying or cancelling flights for thousands nationwide. FAA Administration Bryan Bedford said Wednesday that the airports impacted by the restrictions will be made public on Thursday, after he and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have met with the airlines to discuss changes to their flight schedules. State of play: Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Bedford called the move to restrict traffic unprecedented, but he added that the government shutdown was equally so. "We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators tell us we can take action today," Bedford said. The U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement that all shutdowns are "irresponsible," and the government must reopen to "prevent difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience."Thought bubble, via Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick: This will be a majorly disruptive move for airlines and travelers alike. But the FAA's primary duty is ensuring aviation safety, and reducing the number of flights may help ease the burden on air traffic controllers, who are approaching their second $0 paycheck amid the record-setting government shutdown.Earlier this week, Duffy warned that parts of U.S. airspace could be shut down next week, making today's announcement a notably earlier shift. "These are unusual times, and we look forward to a time when we can get back to business as usual," Bedford said.What they're saying: "This is going to lead to more cancellations," Duffy said during Wednesday's press conference. "We're going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way." Bedford said the FAA is seeing that air traffic controllers are experiencing fatigue, prompting the agency to focus on "specific markets" where they've had reports of such."We have asked (air traffic controllers) to show up for work, but I'm not naive to understand that they're trying to figure out how they meet their daily obligations," Duffy said, adding that worries over money and making ends meet have resulted in "staffing pressures throughout our airspace." Zoom out: Bedford said that there is potential for more restrictions to be put in place if staffing issues continue. Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional information.

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