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Amid the historic federal government shutdown nears day 38, US skies is about to get somewhat quieter. The same cannot be said for US air travel hubs.

Precautionary Steps Enacted

Donald Trump’s air traffic agency announced flights are being reduced to maintain air traffic control security during the federal government funding lapse, now the longest recorded and with no apparent progress of a resolution between Republicans and liberal officials to end the federal budget standoff.

Airline regulators pinpointed “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a step requiring airlines to cancel thousands of flights and trigger a chain reaction of scheduling issues and delays at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Official Statement

The federal transportation leader, Sean Duffy, stated on online platforms Thursday that the action was “not about politics” but rather “involving evaluation the data and mitigating accumulating danger in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” Duffy stated.

Flight Cancellations

Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights may be scrapped. The flight decreases could represent approximately 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats total, based on an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The targeted air hubs spanning numerous states include the most trafficked across the US – such as ATL, CLT, Colorado's hub, Texas metroplex, MCO, California gateway, Florida hotspot and Bay Area airport. Among key urban centers – like NYC, Texas city and Illinois hub – various airports will be involved.

The trio of airports serving the DC metro – Washington Dulles international, Baltimore/Washington international and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be affected, certainly generating schedule changes for lawmakers as well as the flying public.

Additional Developments

• Below is the roster of domestic airports reducing air travel on Friday because of federal government funding lapse.
• A former Department of Justice employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during the current law enforcement increase in DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal involvement.
• Several liberal representatives interpreted Tuesday’s significant election victories as evidence they should maintain their position and gain maximum concessions from Republicans before approving the termination of the longest government shutdown in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, after her statement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she intends to step down.
• The conservative leader, the director of the right-leaning policy organization behind Project 2025, has apologized for supporting the commentator's interview with Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, but is declining demands to leave his position.