US shutdown causes thousands of flights to be canceled

This number represents 10% of all US air traffic.

More flights are expected to be canceled next week by order of the Federal Aviation Administration.

As noted, this is happening because air traffic controllers, who have not been paid for almost a month due to the prolonged government shutdown, are increasingly being laid off due to financial pressure.

If the shutdown continues, the Federal Aviation Administration will cut another 5% of domestic flights each week, despite increased demand for flights due to the approaching Thanksgiving holiday.

For now, these cuts only apply to domestic air travel in the U.S. American airlines expect limited disruptions this weekend and have stressed that international flights are not expected to be affected.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that starting on the morning of November 7, air traffic capacity at 40 major US airports will be reduced by 10% if the shutdown continues.