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Amid the unprecedented federal government closure stretches toward day 38, US skies are set to become somewhat quieter. The same cannot be said for US airports.

Safety Measures Put in Place

The current administration's air traffic agency stated air travel is being curtailed to ensure air traffic control security during the federal government closure, currently the lengthiest in history and with little indication of a agreement between GOP lawmakers and Democrats to end the federal budget deadlock.

Aviation authorities identified “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a move that would force airlines to call off thousands of journeys and cause a series of scheduling complications and hold-ups at major US air terminals.

Government Commentary

The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, wrote on X Thursday that the decision was “unrelated to political motives” but rather “involving evaluation the data and reducing growing safety concerns in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” he added.

Flight Cancellations

Analysts forecast hundreds or even thousands of flights might be called off. The flight decreases may constitute up to 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats combined, per an projection by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The involved terminals covering numerous states include the highest-volume locations across the US – such as ATL, North Carolina's city, DEN, Texas metroplex, MCO, LAX, Florida hotspot and San Francisco. Within major metropolitan areas – like NYC, Houston and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be affected.

All three airports operating in the nation's capital region – Dulles Airport, BWI Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be affected, certainly generating delays and cancellations for government officials as well as additional passengers.

Related Updates

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