Greater than 700 flights nationwide have been canceled Saturday because the Federal Aviation Administration continues limiting flight capability at 40 main U.S. airports amid the federal government shutdown.
As of 6 a.m. ET on Saturday, 754 flights have already been canceled nationwide and the whole might eclipse Friday’s toll of 1,024 cancellations.
Nonetheless, regardless of greater than 1,000 flights being canceled on Friday, main delays at airports throughout the nation proceed to persist as a consequence of staffing points in air site visitors controller towers and facilities.
If the federal government shutdown continues, extra air journey reductions could possibly be on the way in which, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in an interview on ABC Information Reside on Friday.
“My hope is that this authorities shutdown will finish quickly and we will get again within the enterprise of letting People journey,” Duffy stated within the interview.
It’s potential the Division of Transportation could ask airways to cancel greater than 10% of their flights if controllers hold calling out in greater numbers, Duffy instructed ABC Information.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 07: An Air France aircraft takes off over a United Airways aircraft at San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) on November 07, 2025 in San Francisco, California. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is lowering flights by 10 p.c at 40 main airports nationwide, together with SFO, starting Friday amid air site visitors management staffing shortages ensuing from the federal authorities shutdown.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Photos
Duffy stated the FAA has requested personal jets to keep away from flying on the 40 airports impacted by the flight reductions, although they’re presently not prohibited from flying there. He stated personal jet firms have been cooperative and are selecting alternate airports to assist alleviate the stress at these airports.
The cancellations are the most recent — and maybe largest — disruption to air journey for the reason that authorities shutdown started greater than a month in the past.
The FAA determined to not minimize any worldwide flights as it might be a violation of worldwide agreements with the international locations, based on Duffy.
“We’ve worldwide agreements that we abide by, and due to these worldwide agreements, I am not going to affect these worldwide flights. And since if I do, what’s going to occur is we now have different international locations which might be ready to have a breach of these contracts from the US to allow them to minimize down American flights, after which that may have a really lengthy lasting affect on our capability to to to ship vacationers from the U.S. to these companions which have the agreements,” Duffy stated.
