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With the historic federal government closure nears day 38, US skies will become less congested. The same cannot be said for US air travel hubs.

Safety Measures Put in Place

Donald Trump’s air traffic agency stated flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government shutdown, now the longest recorded and with little indication of a agreement between Republicans and Democrats to end the federal budget impasse.

Airline regulators identified “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a move that would force airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a series of scheduling problems and delays at major US air terminals.

Government Commentary

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, stated on social media Thursday that the move was “not politically driven” but rather “involving evaluation the data and mitigating accumulating danger in the system as controllers continue working without pay”.

“Air travel remains secure today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” Duffy stated.

Flight Cancellations

Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights may be scrapped. The flight decreases could represent as many as 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats combined, per an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The targeted air hubs covering over 25 states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including ATL, North Carolina's city, DEN, Dallas/Fort Worth, Florida destination, California gateway, MIA and SFO. Among key urban centers – such as NYC, Houston and Chicago – various airports will be impacted.

All three airports operating in the DC metro – IAD, BWI and DCA – will be involved, certainly generating delays and cancellations for lawmakers as well as other travelers.

Other Developments

• Here’s the compilation of American air terminals cutting flights on Friday because of federal government closure.
• A former Department of Justice employee who tossed food at a federal agent during the current law enforcement presence in Washington DC received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday marking another legal setback of the federal action.
• Some Democratic legislators saw Tuesday’s major voting successes as proof they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from Republicans before consenting to conclude the record-breaking budget standoff in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “bold, groundbreaking” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, subsequent to her declaration that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she plans to retire.
• The conservative leader, the leader of the right-leaning policy organization behind Project 2025, issued an apology for endorsing the commentator's interview with Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, but is declining demands to resign.