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Amid the unprecedented federal government shutdown nears day 38, US airspace will become less congested. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs.

Precautionary Steps Enacted

The current administration's aviation regulatory body has said flights are being reduced to maintain air traffic control safety during the federal government shutdown, setting a new duration record and with no sign of a solution between GOP lawmakers and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget deadlock.

Aviation authorities pinpointed “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a move that would force airlines to call off thousands of journeys and trigger a series of scheduling issues and delays at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Official Statement

The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, commented on X Thursday that the move was “unrelated to political motives” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and reducing building risk in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” Duffy stated.

Travel Disruptions

Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights might be called off. These reductions may constitute approximately 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats combined, per an projection by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Targeted Terminals

The targeted air hubs covering numerous states include the highest-volume locations across the US – featuring Georgia's capital, Charlotte, Colorado's hub, DFW, Orlando, LAX, Florida hotspot and Bay Area airport. Within major metropolitan areas – including NYC, Texas city and Illinois hub – multiple airports will be impacted.

All three airports operating in the Washington DC area – Dulles Airport, Baltimore/Washington international and DCA – will be involved, inevitably causing delays and cancellations for lawmakers as well as additional passengers.

Related Updates

• Below is the list of US airports reducing air travel on Friday because of federal government closure.
• A former Department of Justice employee who threw a sandwich at a government officer during the current law enforcement presence in the capital received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rejection of the federal intervention.
• Some Democratic legislators interpreted Tuesday’s significant election victories as proof they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from conservative lawmakers before consenting to conclude the record-breaking budget standoff in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, following her announcement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she intends to step down.
• The conservative leader, the chief of the right-leaning policy organization behind Project 2025, has apologized for supporting the commentator's interview with Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to leave his position.