Airlines in the United States cancelled nearly 1,200 flights on Tuesday as the nation’s record 42-day government shutdown appeared close to resolution. The cancellations marked an improvement from Monday’s chaos, when 2,400 flights were grounded and nearly 10,000 delayed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ordered airlines to cut flight schedules by up to 10% this week due to severe air traffic controller shortages.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said staffing levels improved sharply on Tuesday, with only four disruptions reported compared to 81 on Saturday. The FAA is now discussing a phased rollback of the cuts as controllers return to work.
The Senate passed a stopgap bill late Monday to fund the government through January 30, with the House expected to vote Wednesday. Duffy warned that failure to pass the bill could worsen flight disruptions over the weekend.
Since the shutdown began on October 1, it has forced thousands of unpaid FAA and TSA employees to work without pay, causing over 50,000 flight disruptions and affecting more than a million passengers nationwide.
