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As the unprecedented federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US airspace will become a little less busy. The same cannot be said for US airports.

Precautionary Steps Enacted

The federal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government closure, setting a new duration record and with little indication of a solution between GOP lawmakers and liberal officials to end the federal budget impasse.

Flight oversight bodies identified “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a step requiring airlines to call off thousands of journeys and trigger a chain reaction of scheduling complications and setbacks at key American travel hubs.

Official Statement

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, wrote on social media Thursday that the move was “unrelated to political motives” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and reducing accumulating danger in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” the official added.

Airline Cutbacks

Analysts forecast hundreds if not thousands of flights may be scrapped. The cuts might account for up to 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, per an projection by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The involved terminals covering numerous states include the busiest ones across the US – including Georgia's capital, CLT, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Florida destination, Los Angeles, MIA and Bay Area airport. Within major metropolitan areas – like NYC, Texas city and Illinois hub – various airports will be involved.

Each of the three air terminals operating in the Washington DC area – Washington Dulles international, Baltimore/Washington international and Reagan National – will be involved, inevitably causing schedule changes for lawmakers as well as other travelers.

Related Updates

• This is the list of US airports decreasing flights on Friday as a result of federal government closure.
• A previous justice department staffer who threw a sandwich at a federal officer during the current law enforcement surge in the capital was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rebuke of the federal action.
• Some Democratic legislators saw Tuesday’s big electoral wins as evidence they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from conservative lawmakers before approving the termination of the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her announcement that after 20 terms in Congress she plans to retire.
• The thinktank head, the leader of the right-leaning policy organization behind the conservative initiative, has apologized for supporting the commentator's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is declining demands to leave his position.