TAMPA, Fla — The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country’s longest government shutdown.

Early Monday, traffic is back to normal at Tampa International Airport.

What You Need To Know

FAA lifts restrictions on commercial flights at 40 major airports, including Tampa, Orlando and Miami 
Airlines can resume regular flight schedules on Monday at 6 a.m. EST
The restrictions were due to staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities during the government shutdown 
Traffic flowing smoothly at Tampa International as of Monday morning 
TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Flight status

Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place since Nov. 7, affecting thousands of flights across the country.

Impacted airports included the major facilities in Florida: Tampa, Orlando and Miami.  

The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6% before the FAA on Friday rolled the restrictions back to 3%, citing continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the record 43-day shutdown ended.

The FAA statement said an FAA safety team recommended the order be rescinded after “detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.”

Cancellations hit their highest point Nov. 9, when airlines cut more than 2,900 flights because of the FAA order, ongoing controller shortages and severe weather in parts of the country. But conditions began to improve throughout the week as more controllers returned to work amid news that Congress was close to a deal to end the shutdown. That progress also prompted the FAA to pause plans for further rate increases.

Airline leaders have expressed optimism that operations would rebound in time for the Thanksgiving travel period after the FAA lifted its order.

According to AAA, six million people are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday.

However, that number could end up being lower because of the recent flight disruptions.

Florida remains the most popular domestic destination this year, with Tampa being in the top ten.