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With the record-breaking federal government shutdown stretches toward day 38, US skies are set to become less congested. Contrastingly for US airports.

Precautionary Steps Put in Place

The federal aviation regulatory body announced flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government funding lapse, setting a new duration record and with no apparent progress of a agreement between conservative legislators and liberal officials to end the federal budget deadlock.

Aviation authorities identified “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by early morning Eastern Time on Friday, a step requiring airlines to scrub numerous flights and create a series of scheduling issues and delays at key American travel hubs.

Administration Remarks

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, stated on online platforms Thursday that the action was “not about politics” but rather “involving evaluation the data and reducing building risk 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 stated.

Flight Cancellations

Analysts forecast hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The flight decreases could represent up to 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats collectively, based on an projection by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Targeted Terminals

The involved terminals spanning over 25 states include the busiest ones across the US – featuring ATL, North Carolina's city, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Florida destination, California gateway, Florida hotspot and SFO. Within major metropolitan areas – such as NYC, Texas city and Chicago – several air terminals will be involved.

All three airports serving the Washington DC area – Washington Dulles international, BWI Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be impacted, inevitably causing flight disruptions for government officials as well as additional passengers.

Related Updates

• Here’s the roster of domestic airports cutting flights on Friday because of federal government shutdown.
• An ex-DOJ worker who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during the administration's law enforcement presence in DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal rejection of the federal involvement.
• Some Democratic legislators viewed Tuesday’s significant election victories as indication they should stand firm and gain maximum concessions from GOP members before consenting to conclude the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, following her declaration that after 20 terms in Congress she intends to step down.
• Kevin Roberts, the director of the right-leaning policy organization behind the policy blueprint, has apologized for endorsing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to resign.