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Amid the record-breaking federal government shutdown nears day 38, US skies is about to get somewhat quieter. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs.

Precautionary Steps Put in Place

The federal aviation regulatory body has said flights are being reduced to ensure air traffic control safety during the federal government shutdown, setting a new duration record and with no sign of a resolution between GOP lawmakers and liberal officials to end the federal budget impasse.

Flight oversight bodies pinpointed “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to call off thousands of journeys and cause a chain reaction of scheduling issues and delays at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Government Commentary

The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, commented on online platforms Thursday that the action was “not about politics” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and mitigating accumulating danger in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” he remarked.

Airline Cutbacks

Specialists anticipate numerous potentially thousands of flights might be called off. The flight decreases could represent approximately 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats combined, per an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Targeted Terminals

The affected airports covering more than two dozen states include the highest-volume locations across the US – featuring Atlanta, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, MCO, LAX, Miami and Bay Area airport. In some of the biggest cities – such as New York, Texas city and Chicago – various airports will be involved.

All three airports operating in the DC metro – Dulles Airport, BWI Airport and DCA – will be involved, inevitably causing delays and cancellations for government officials as well as other travelers.

Other Developments

• Here’s the roster of domestic airports decreasing flights on Friday due to federal government funding lapse.
• A former Department of Justice employee who tossed food at a government officer during the current law enforcement increase in DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday marking another legal rebuke of the federal intervention.
• Several liberal representatives viewed Tuesday’s significant election victories as proof they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from conservative lawmakers before consenting to conclude the longest government shutdown in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “bold, groundbreaking” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, after her announcement that following two decades in Congress she will leave office.
• The conservative leader, the chief of the political research group behind Project 2025, issued an apology for supporting the commentator's interview with Hitler supporter Nick Fuentes, but is declining demands to resign.