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The Department of Transportation late Thursday released measures that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will take in order to maintain safety in the national airspace system as the government shutdown continues. In order reduce the strain on air traffic controllers who have been working unpaid since the start of the shutdown over a month ago, triggering staffing issues at airports across the county, the FAA is initiating a temporary 10% reduction in flights at 40 high traffic airports across the country. The plan calls for a 4% cut in flights beginning Friday, and ramping up to 6% by Tuesday, Nov. 11. By Thursday, Nov. 13, the reduction will hit 8%, and finally 10% on Friday, Nov. 14. “We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a news release. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.” The FAA said it will also prohibit some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers; limit commercial space launches to non-peak hours; and prohibit parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger. Airlines will be required to issue full refunds to passengers affected by the order. Carriers, the DOT says, will decide which flights are canceled to reach the order’s goal. The order does not require a reduction in international flights.
