The FAA statement said an FAA safety team recommended the order be rescinded after \u201cdetailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement said the FAA \u201cis aware of reports of non-compliance by carriers over the course of the emergency order. The agency is reviewing and assessing enforcement options.\u201d It did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The agency had initially aimed for a 10% reduction in flights. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said worrisome safety data showed the move was necessary to ease pressure on the aviation system and help manage worsening staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities as the shutdown entered its second month and flight disruptions began to pile up.<\/p>\n
Air traffic controllers were among the federal employees who had to continue working without pay throughout the shutdown. They missed two paychecks<\/a> during the impasse.<\/p>\n