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As the unprecedented federal government shutdown nears day 38, US skies is about to get somewhat quieter. The same cannot be said for US terminals.

Safety Measures Enacted

The federal aviation regulatory body has said flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government closure, currently the lengthiest in history and with no sign of a solution between Republicans and Democrats to end the federal budget deadlock.

Flight oversight bodies identified “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a move that would force airlines to call off thousands of journeys and trigger a cascade of scheduling issues and setbacks at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Official Statement

The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, commented on social media Thursday that the decision was “not about politics” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and reducing accumulating danger in the system as controllers continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” he stated.

Travel Disruptions

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent approximately 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats total, according to an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The involved terminals including numerous states include the most trafficked across the US – such as ATL, Charlotte, Colorado's hub, DFW, MCO, Los Angeles, Florida hotspot and SFO. Within major metropolitan areas – such as NYC, Houston and Chicago – multiple airports will be affected.

The trio of airports operating in the DC metro – IAD, BWI and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be involved, certainly generating flight disruptions for elected representatives as well as additional passengers.

Related Updates

• Below is the list of US airports decreasing flights on Friday due to federal government funding lapse.
• A previous justice department staffer who hurled a sandwich at a government officer during the current law enforcement presence in Washington DC received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday marking another legal setback of the federal action.
• Certain Democratic lawmakers interpreted Tuesday’s big electoral wins as indication they should stand firm and gain maximum concessions from GOP members before approving the termination of the record-breaking budget standoff in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, subsequent to her statement that after 20 terms in Congress she intends to step down.
• The conservative leader, the director of the political research group behind the conservative initiative, has apologized for supporting Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to step down.