Copyright New York Post
New York City’s four major airports are set to face cancellations and delays as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 10% airspace reduction — as staffing shortages hamper the agency during the ongoing historic government shutdown. Newark Liberty, JFK, LaGuardia and Teterboro were listed among the 40 “high volume market” airports that will be affected by flight cancellations as part of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s pledge to keep American travelers safe in the sky, CBS News reported. Duffy warned that “mass chaos” could erupt when the drastic decrease in air traffic goes into effect Friday. “Many of the controllers said, ‘A lot of us can navigate missing one paycheck. Not everybody, but a lot of us can. None of us can manage missing two paychecks,’” Duffy said Wednesday. “So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have air traffic controllers.” The list also includes major hub airports and popular domestic destinations across the country, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Denver, Chicago O’Hare, LAX and Boston Logan. “Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible,” Duffy explained. The decision was made based on data from the agency and not dependent on the airlines that fly to certain airports, Duffy exclaimed. “This is proactive,” he said. Along with the major commercial hubs, several ports with heavy cargo traffic will also be affected, including Lexington, Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee and Anchorage, Alaska. Nearly 150,000 flights passed through the NYC-area in September 2025, with Newark, JFK and LaGuardia each seeing 32,000; 39,000 and 31,000 flights respectively, according to data from the Port Authority of NY/NJ. New Jersey’s Teteboro, located 12 miles from Midtown Manhattan, is designated a general aviation reliever airport and frequented by private jets and other general aviation traffic. The change will affect commercial and private travel — and even space flight — and could ground as many as 4,000 flights nationwide. “We are working with the federal government to understand all details of the new reduction mandate and will strive to mitigate impacts to passengers and shippers,” Airlines for America said in a statement. Airports to experience cuts Anchorage International (ANC) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) Boston Logan International (BOS) Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG) Dallas Love (DAL) Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Denver International (DEN) Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) Newark Liberty International (EWR) Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL) Honolulu International (HNL) Houston Hobby (HOU) Washington Dulles International (IAD) George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH) Indianapolis International (IND) New York John F Kennedy International (JFK) Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS) Los Angeles International (LAX) New York LaGuardia (LGA) Orlando International (MCO) Chicago Midway (MDW) Memphis International (MEM) Miami International (MIA) Minneapolis/St Paul International (MSP) Oakland International (OAK) Ontario International (ONT) Chicago O`Hare International (ORD) Portland International (PDX) Philadelphia International (PHL) Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) San Diego International (SAN) Louisville International (SDF) Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA) San Francisco International (SFO) Salt Lake City International (SLC) Teterboro (TEB) Tampa International (TPA) Officials said the shutdown, which became the longest-ever on Wednesday, has exacerbated an existing shortage of air traffic controllers — who have been unpaid since the start of the shutdown on Oct. 1. “We are seeing pressures build in a way that if we allow it to go unchecked, will not allow us to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world. And we are not going to react to that. We intend to be proactive,” FAA boss Bryan Bedford said. Duffy refuted claims that he implemented the plan as part of a scheme with the Trump administration to get Senate Democrats to end the shutdown.
