Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On November 5th, local time, the US federal government entered its 36th day of shutdown, becoming the longest federal government shutdown in US history. US Transportation Secretary Duffy stated that day that if the shutdown continues, the Department of Transportation will begin cutting traffic at 40 busy airports across the US by 10% starting November 7th to reduce airspace risks.
Duffy announced this measure at a press conference in Washington, D.C. He said that pressure at these 40 airports is increasing daily, and he will meet later that day with senior executives of some airlines to discuss how to safely implement the capacity reduction measures.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Brian Bedford said at the press conference that the government shutdown is causing increasing pressure on staffing levels. If the pressure continues to increase after capacity reduction measures are implemented, "further measures" will be taken at these 40 airports.
US air traffic controllers are forced to work without pay.
It is understood that this capacity reduction at busy airports across the US will affect thousands of flights.
The United States has been facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. Since the federal government shutdown began on October 1, air traffic controllers, considered "essential personnel," have been forced to work without pay, leading to a surge in leave requests and exacerbating flight delays and cancellations across the country.
If the shutdown continues,
the US may close some airspace.
According to flight tracking website data, nearly 4,300 flights were delayed within the US and to/from the US on the 4th, with 151 flights canceled. Duffy stated on the 4th that the situation could worsen because the government shutdown shows no signs of ending in the short term, and air traffic controllers have not received their salaries. He warned that with the holidays approaching in late November, large-scale flight delays and cancellations are expected, at which point the US Department of Transportation may have to close some airspace for safety reasons, as "the situation is simply uncontrollable."
