The Federal Aviation Administration announced earlier this week that it would take the extraordinary step of reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain travel safety, as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

Philadelphia International Airport is among those affected by the cuts. According to Flight Aware, as of the morning of Friday, November 7, 2025, there have been 26 cancellations so far.

Also impacted are nearby major airports, such as Newark, John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Baltimore, according to NBC News.

The cutback stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft. The agency said the restrictions would remain in place as long as necessary.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference.

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1, and most have been on duty six days a week while putting in mandatory overtime. With some calling out of work due to frustration, taking second jobs or not having money for child care or gas, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at a number of U.S. airports.

Bedford, citing increased staffing pressures and safety reports indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, said he and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point.

“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” Bedford said. “The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we’ll come back and take additional measures.”

Airlines and passengers wait for information

Southwest, American, Delta, Frontier and Allegiant all told NBC10 that they’re expecting more of their flights to operate as planned and are working with customers who may be impacted.

United Airlines said that while most of their flights won’t be impacted, their regional flying and domestic mainline flights that don’t travel between hubs will be reduced.

Two TSA checkpoints at the Philadelphia International Airport were closed on Wednesday morning. Officials have not said if these closures where due to staffing shortages stemming from the government shutdown or not. NBC10’s Neil Fischer has details.  

Airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, who is president of Atmosphere Research Group, said he thinks the government may have bungled this announcement by not meeting with airlines first and giving them more time to adjust schedules made months in advance.

“To tell airlines you’ve got 48 hours to rebuild your schedules at 90% of what you’ve got isn’t much time, and it’s going to result in a lot of chaos,” Harteveldt said. He added that the Trump administration may be using aviation safety “to force the two sides in Washington back to the negotiating table to resolve the shutdown.”

AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz advised travelers to watch for flight updates on the airline’s app and airport websites. She also recommended allowing plenty of time at the airport before a scheduled flight.

“It’s frustrating for travelers, because there’s not much you can do. At the end of the day, you either fly or you don’t,” she said.

The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upward of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium. For example, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago could see 121 of its 1,212 flights currently scheduled for Friday cut if the FAA distributes the reductions equally among impacted airports, Cirium said.

The FAA flight cuts could affect your travel plans starting as soon as this weekend and they could linger into the holiday travel season. NBC10’s Tim Furlong spoke with a travel industry expert for advice on how to navigate potential airline issues.

Data shows worsening weekend staffing

The FAA regularly slows down or stops flights from taking off toward an airport for a number of reasons, including weather conditions, equipment failures and technical problems. Staffing shortages also may lead to slowed or halted departures if other personnel can’t fill in or another facility can’t absorb some of the work load.

Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages of the shutdown, which became the longest on record early Wednesday.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 different air traffic control facilities announced there was some potential for limited staffing, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans sent through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown

During weekend periods from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional centers overseeing multiple airports and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced the potential for staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

Travel industry joins unions in urging shutdown’s end

Major airlines, aviation unions and the wider travel industry have urged Congress to end the shutdown.

This week’s announcement came on the heels of Duffy warning a day earlier that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paychecks next Tuesday.

As the government shutdown continues, officials may be forced to shut down parts of their airspace. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.

Duffy said the FAA wanted to take a proactive approach instead of reacting after a disaster. He pointed to all the questions that arose after the deadly midair collision in January between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport about why FAA didn’t recognize the risks and act sooner.

“We learned from that. And so now we look at data, and before it would become an issue, we try to assess the pressure and try to make moves before there could be adverse consequences,” Duffy said. “And that’s what’s happening here today.”

Yamat reported from Las Vegas, and Funk from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.