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Amid the record-breaking federal government standoff approaches day 38, US skies is about to get somewhat quieter. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs.

Protective Actions Put in Place

The current administration's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated 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 standoff.

Airline regulators pinpointed “congested corridors” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a step requiring airlines to cancel thousands of flights and cause a cascade of scheduling complications and hold-ups at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Administration Remarks

The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, commented on X Thursday that the action was “not politically driven” but rather “involving evaluation the data and mitigating growing safety concerns in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“Air travel remains secure today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” the official remarked.

Flight Cancellations

Specialists anticipate hundreds if not thousands of flights may be scrapped. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats total, according to an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The involved terminals spanning over 25 states include the most trafficked across the US – including Atlanta, CLT, Denver, DFW, Orlando, California gateway, Florida hotspot and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities – including NYC, Houston and Illinois hub – various airports will be impacted.

All three airports serving the DC metro – Dulles Airport, BWI Airport and Reagan National – will be involved, likely creating delays and cancellations for government officials as well as other travelers.

Related Updates

• This is the compilation of American air terminals reducing air travel on Friday due to federal government shutdown.
• A previous justice department staffer who threw a sandwich at a government officer during Donald Trump’s law enforcement increase in Washington DC received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal setback of the federal action.
• Certain Democratic lawmakers saw Tuesday’s major voting successes as indication they should maintain their position and secure the best deal from conservative lawmakers before approving the termination of the longest government shutdown in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her announcement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she plans to retire.
• The conservative leader, the leader of the conservative thinktank behind Project 2025, has apologized for backing the commentator's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to step down.