FAA Reduces Air Traffic by 10% at Select Airports

Due to the increasing strain being placed on air traffic controllers as a result of the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA announced a 10 percent reduction in air traffic at 40 of the country’s high-volume markets. 

In a joint press conference on Wednesday, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford explained the move as a preventive measure and a way to alleviate pressure on air traffic controllers (ATCs), who, in some cases, are having to take on second jobs to meet the financial burdens of repeatedly missed pay periods.

“They need to put food on the table, gas in the car, pay their bills,” Duffy said. “By the way, I do not want them to take side jobs. I want them to show up for work. We have asked them 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. And so because of that we have seen staffing pressures throughout our airspace.”

Bedford emphasized that all the safety measures his agency tracks regarding the National Airspace System (NAS) are up to par. But due to data that he has seen and voluntary safety disclosure reports coming from commercial air transport pilots, he said there is a buildup of fatigue brewing among ATCs, particularly in specific markets. 

“As we slice the data more granularly, we are seeing pressures build in a way that we don’t feel will if we allow it to go unchecked, will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world,” Bedford said. “And we’re not going to react to that, and we intend to be proactive.”

Both Bedford and Duffy planned to meet with U.S. airlines and industry partners Wednesday evening to discuss exactly how the traffic cuts would be implemented. The aim, according ot Bedord, is to have a “ratable reduction” in specific markets over the next 48 hours along with structuring scalable reductions that are proportionate across the airlines.

A tentative list of which locations will be impacted as a result is expected Thursday. 

Prior to the government shutdown—offically the longest in U.S. record—ATC facilities already faced severe staffing woes into the thousands.

On Wednesday, Duffy insisted that the FAA was short 2,000 controllers. Other estimates calculate that number closer to 3,000 to 3,500 away from being fully staffed.

Despite intense hiring sprees and cash bonus offers for ATCs approaching retirement age to remain on staff, the staffing continues to be stretched thin. 

In addition to a forecasted rise in cancellations and delays due to the reduction, restrictions will also be placed on VFR operations for general aviation traffic in the 40 markets. 

Regardless of when leaders in Washington, D.C., come to a resolution on ending the shutdown, both federal officials stated that performance metrics will need to return to preshutdown levels before a reversal on reductions can be issued.

“We are going to use data,” Duffy said. “The data will dictate what we do. Again, if the data goes in the wrong direction, could you see additional restrictions? Yes. If the data goes in the right direction, we will roll this back.”