The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an order to reduce the number of flights to 40 high-traffic airports around the country, including Orlando International Airport (MCO) here in Central Florida. The order comes as air traffic controllers experience a strain on the workforce due to the ongoing government shutdown. The order to reduce the number of flights into airports is positioned as a proactive measure to “maintain the highest standards of safety in the national airspace system”. Here’s the latest, along with a statement from MCO.
FAA Orders Flight Reduction to MCO
According to an emergency order put out by the Department of Transportation, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford outlined the proactive actions the FAA will take to maintain the highest standards of safety in the national airspace system. This includes achieving a temporary 10 percent reduction in flights at 40 high-traffic airports across the country. MCO is on the list of airports affected by the order.
Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay, and staffing triggers at air traffic facilities across the country have been increasing. This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers. This past weekend, there were 2,740 delays at various airports.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.”
“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,” said Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”
A 4% reduction in operations will take effect Friday, November 7, ramping up to 6% by November 11, 8% by November 13, and 10% by November 14.
The FAA will also:
Prohibit some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers.
Commercial space launches and reentries will only be permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time.
Prohibit parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger.
Airlines will be required to issue full refunds. They will not be required to cover secondary costs. This is the normal procedure when a delay or cancellation is not at the fault of the carrier.
The order does not require a reduction in international flights. Carriers may use their own discretion to decide which flights are canceled to reach the order’s goal.
Decisions to increase or decrease these flight reductions will be informed by safety data.
MCO Responds
The Orlando International Airport (MCO) took to Twitter yesterday at 5pm to issue the following statement.
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) has not received official notification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding a decrease of flight activity in response to the Federal Government Shutdown. Based on various reports, MCO is identified as one of the 40 U.S. airports that will have flight reductions beginning Friday, November 7; however, this has not been confirmed by the FAA. We encourage travelers to contact their airlines directly for questions and flight status. The airport will remain fully staffed to assist in anyway possible.
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
The statement was issued prior to the FAA order above being published, and it appears that MCO was making the statement based solely on news reports.
The order from the FAA has been published, and MCO is one of the airports listed in the order.
Either way, travelers are encouraged to check with their airlines to see if their flight into or out of MCO is impacted by the order reducing flights to high-traffic airports.
At this time, it is unclear how long the government under President Trump will keep the shutdown in place.
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