U.S. Revokes Nationwide Flight Reductions Order
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford confirmed the agency's emergency directive requiring nationwide flight reductions will expire at 6 am Monday, restoring standard operations throughout the National Airspace System (NAS).
The move follows guidance from the FAA's safety team, which referenced extensive evaluations of safety metrics and a sustained decrease in staffing-related incidents at air traffic control centers.
Duffy commended the FAA's "dedicated safety team" for maintaining secure skies throughout the extended government shutdown, noting that with controllers now returned to duty, "normal operations can resume." He indicated priorities will now pivot toward accelerating controller recruitment and constructing a "state-of-the-art air traffic control system."
Bedford said the choice to rescind the order reflects a "steady decline in staffing concerns" and lauded agency personnel for their dedication to public safety.
The FAA implemented the traffic-reduction directive on Nov. 7 amid escalating safety worries as workforce shortages intensified during the shutdown, necessitating historic constraints on nationwide aviation and disrupting thousands of flights.
Critical aviation centers in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta numbered among those affected.
Flight cancellations surged on Nov. 9 when carriers grounded over 2,900 flights due to the FAA order, ongoing controller deficits and harsh weather conditions.
Circumstances progressively stabilized last week as additional controllers returned while signals emerged that Congress was approaching a shutdown resolution, prompting the FAA to suspend plans for further flight-reduction expansions.
The agency reported controller staffing has consistently recovered since the shutdown concluded Wednesday, plummeting from a maximum of 81 staffing-trigger events on Nov. 8 to merely one on Nov. 16, reaching pre-shutdown benchmarks.
With the order rescinded, constraints on select general aviation flights, visual flight rule approaches, commercial space operations, and parachute or photo missions will likewise expire.
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