Department Of Transportation Significantly Reduces U.S. Flight Capacity Amid Government Shutdown, Sean Duffy Announces

The Department of Transportation will initiate a “10% reduction in capacity at 40 major airports” starting on Friday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced.

The move will impact approximately 3,500 to 4,000 flights per day.

“This data-based decision is designed to alleviate pressure on our air traffic controllers required to keep the skies safe,” the USDOT Rapid Response X account wrote.

“My number one priority is the safety of the American people,” Duffy commented.

My number one priority is the safety of the American people. https://t.co/lOi3Q2rpZ7

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 5, 2025

CNBC shared more:

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said additional measures could be taken after the initial reduction.

“As we slice the data more granularly, we are seeing pressures build in a way that we don’t feel, if we allow it to go unchecked, will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world,” Bedford said on Wednesday.

Bedford added that the administration will be meeting with the airline community to decide how to move forward on implementing the reduction, which he said has never happened before during his time in the industry.

The government shutdown, which entered its 36th full day on Wednesday, is now the longest in U.S. history.

Duffy said he expects more cancellations as a result of the reduction, which has no set end time. “We thought 10% was the right number based on the pressure we were seeing,” Duffy added.

“The FAA is ordering at 10% reduction in flights in 40 high volume markets starting Friday. DOT is not yet releasing the list but will brief airlines later today. This will result in thousands of cancellations starting Friday. The FAA says ATC fatigue and staffing are the issue,” CBS News Senior Transportation & National Correspondent Kris Van Cleave said.

The FAA is ordering at 10% reduction in flights in 40 high volume markets starting Friday. DOT is not yet releasing the list but will brief airlines later today. This will result in thousands of cancellations starting Friday. The FAA says ATC fatigue and staffing are the issue

— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) November 5, 2025

Meanwhile, air traffic controllers are near a ‘tipping point’ as the government shutdown continues, NPR noted.

“What you’re seeing is a lot of people who are truly having to call in sick to go earn money elsewhere,” one air traffic controller said, according to the outlet.

“I think you’re also seeing people who are just calling in sick because they’re fed up and they’re like, ‘well, I’m going to spend the holiday weekend with my kids for once,’” the individual added.

I worry this extended gov’ shut down is doing permanent damage to already-strained air traffic control.

How many controllers are getting other jobs—and therefore aren’t coming back?

Congress, y’all gotta pass a clean CR—at least for Aviation.

— Blake Scholl (@bscholl) November 5, 2025

NPR provided further info:

The government shutdown is taking a growing toll on air traffic controllers who are required to work without pay. Staffing shortages led to major delays over the weekend, raising concerns about more widespread travel chaos as the shutdown continues.

NPR interviewed four current air traffic controllers this week, who all asked not to use their names because they’re afraid of retaliation from the FAA.

They said morale was already low, even before the government shutdown, due to a longstanding staffing shortage across the system. Mandatory overtime and stagnating wages were other factors dampening morale, which has gotten even worse now that controllers are not being paid at all.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insists the U.S. air travel system is safe, and that the FAA will need to reroute and limit the number of planes in order to keep it that way.

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“We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s not safe,” Duffy said Tuesday, “if we don’t have enough controllers to effectively and safely manage our skies.”

Duffy warned that the FAA may be forced to do a lot of that next week if the shutdown isn’t resolved and the controllers miss another paycheck.

“You will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” Duffy said.