FAA Lifts Flight Restrictions at 40 Major US Airports

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Sunday that it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights at 40 major U.S. airports, allowing airlines to resume full schedules starting Monday at 6 a.m. EST, following the end of the 43-day government shutdown that strained air traffic control staffing.

The decision, detailed in a joint statement from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, comes after the agency imposed an emergency order on November 7 to reduce flight volumes and ensure safety amid shortages of air traffic controllers. Those federal employees had continued working without pay during the shutdown, missing two paychecks and leading to increased absenteeism. The restrictions affected hubs including New York City's JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro airports; Philadelphia; Chicago; Los Angeles; Atlanta; Miami; Fort Lauderdale; and others, but spared smaller facilities like Raleigh-Durham International.

Initially calling for a 4 percent reduction in flights, the order escalated to 6 percent before easing to 3 percent on Friday as staffing improved post-shutdown, which concluded on November 12. The FAA had planned further cuts...