Flight reductions to hold at 6% amid 'rapid decline in controller callouts': DOT
The Federal Aviation Administration froze flight reductions that were initially set to increase on Thursday, as the number of canceled flights in the United States has steadily decreased this week.
The FAA issued an emergency order on Wednesday evening freezing the flight reductions at its current level of 6%.
Under a prior order, airlines had been required to reduce operations at 40 "high-impact airports" by 8% by Thursday and by 10% by Friday. The new order means those reductions will no longer increase.
The Department of Transportation said the decision was taken after seeing a "rapid decline in controller callouts."
"Such strong staffing levels suggest a further ramp up in-flight reductions are not necessary to keep the traveling public safe," the DOT said in a press release. "As the federal government reopens and controllers receive their backpay, the FAA will continue to monitor staffing levels and review key trend lines."
The 6% flight reductions will remain in place "as the FAA continues to assess the situation and determines when airlines and systems can safely and gradually return to normal operations," the DOT said.
The order comes after more than 900 flights were canceled Wednesday in the U.S. as of approximately 8 p.m. ET, with departures from the busy hubs of Chicago, Denver and Atlanta leading the list of the most cancellations, according to FlightAware.
More than 2,200 flights had been delayed as of about 8 p.m. ET.
Wednesday’s flight cancellations appeared set to continue a dayslong streak of headaches at American airports, which were operating under duress amid a federal government shutdown.
The cancellations and delays have slowly crept down throughout the week, however, as Congress appeared ready to end the shutdown.
More than 1,200 flights in the U.S. were canceled on Tuesday, while Monday saw more than 2,400 canceled. Winter weather that caused headaches in the Midwest and East on Monday and Tuesday was also no longer a factor for airports on Wednesday.
Many federal employees, including Transportation Security Administration staffers, were working without pay as the partisan impasse dragged on in Washington.
And while things have improved, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the cancellations could cause major issues this weekend if the shutdown does not come to an end.
"If the government doesn't open, it's going to radically slow down," Duffy said during a press conference on Tuesday. "If this doesn't open, you might have airlines that say, 'We're going to ground our planes.' That's how serious this is."
The House of Representatives was set to vote on the bill Wednesday night. If it passes, it will head to President Donald Trump's desk to be signed.
Airlines have not received any guidance on whether flight reductions will be adjusted once the shutdown ends, according to Chris Sununu, the president and CEO of Airlines for America, a trade association representing U.S. carriers.
Once the government shutdown ends, it will take about a week before air travel operations return to normal, Sununu said. If the shutdown ends this week, smooth travel is expected over the Thanksgiving holiday, he said.
"There's still plenty of time to make sure that everything over the Thanksgiving week goes off as originally planned," Sununu said during a press conference on Wednesday.
ABC News' Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.
