Air travel capacity will be cut by up to 10% at 40 major US airports over the coming days if the federal government shutdown continues, the US Transportation Secretary has warned.
The decision is because air traffic controllers, who are being asked to work for no pay, are suffering fatigue.
ATC staff are among 1.4 million federal employees affected by the shutdown, which began on 1 October and is now the longest shutdown in US history. Most workers were sent home on 1 October and told they would be paid once the government reopened. But ‘essential’ workers, such as ATC staff, have had to carry on working with no pay.
Unions say many employees are becoming ill with stress or are being forced into taking second jobs, the BBC reports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened the cuts in a briefing yesterday and the names of affected airports will be released today.
US media reports the list will include some of the nation’s busiest hubs, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Dallas/Fort Worth International, Denver International, Chicago O’Hare International and Los Angeles International.
The cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day. US media also reported that international flights would not be affected. However, Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford said that, if the shutdown continued and added more pressure to the system, additional restrictive measures may be required.
The flight reductions will be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday, then rising to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, before hitting the full 10% next week, the Reuters news agency reports.
The FAA chief said: “We are seeing pressures build in a way that we don’t feel – if we allow it to go unchecked – will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world.”
He said that, if the shutdown continued and added more pressure to the system, additional restrictive measures may be required.
