Officials Say FAA Has Removed Emergency Limits on Flights at 40 Airports
FFA Flight reductions order the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced at 40 airports just three weeks ago will officially end Monday morning, according to a joint statement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
Orders mandating the FAA capacity cuts by at least four percent began on November 7 at some of the nation’s busiest hubs. Passengers at airports across the U.S. have seen thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations almost daily since then.
“The air traffic control FAA emergency order end on Monday, November 17 at 6 a.m.,” reads the joint statement issued on Sunday. “The FAA will return to normal operations across the National Airspace System (NAS).”
Airline delays and cancellations stemming from the flight reduction orders had already started to abate last week, after President Donald Trump signed a bill to reopen the government, ending the longest government shutdown in American history.
Air traffic control centers across the nation also were dealing with staffing shortages, which Administrator Bedford said Sunday is on track to be resolved.
“Today’s decision to rescind the order reflects the steady decline in staffing triggers across the NAS and allows us to return to normal operations from U.S. airport delays,” Bedford said on Sunday. “I am grateful for the hard work of the FAA safety and operations teams and for their focus on the safety of the traveling public.”
The FAA on Sunday had one staffing issue, according to the statement, “compared to a record high of 81 staffing triggers on November 8.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that aviation officials can now "refocus" efforts on hiring more air traffic controllers and on "building the brand new, state of the art air traffic control system the American people deserve.
