The U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration beginning Nov. 7 will mandate a 10 percent reduction in capacity at 40 U.S. airports in an effort to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers as the government shutdown continues, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
Air traffic controllers are considered essential workers and are required to show up for work even though they are not getting paid because of the continued shutdown. Some controllers have not done so, and there have been reports that some also are taking second jobs.
The announcement comes a day after Duffy warned that a continued shutdown could lead to the closure of parts of the U.S. airspace. He also warned on Nov. 2 that the FAA could restrict flight volumes.
"We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is building in the system in ways that we feel we need to work towards relieving some of that pressure," Bedford said. "We've identified 40 high-traffic environment markets. … We have decided that a 10 percent reduction in scheduled capacity would be appropriate. … And as we continue to see staffing triggers, there will be additional measures that will be taken in those specific markets."
The agencies plan to release the names of those 40 airports Nov. 6, according to Bedford, who also said the agencies would meet with the airline community this evening about implementing the measures.
The 40 markets were determined by FAA data that included voluntary safety disclosure reports coming from commercial air transport pilots. "The data has allowed us to focus … on specific markets where we're seeing some of these reports come to us," Bedford said.
The measures will go beyond commercial airlines and include "space launches, restrictions on [visual flight rules] traffic in certain markets that have continued FAA controller staffing triggers and a host of other countermeasures," Bedford added.
"I do want to reiterate this is proactive," Duffy said, adding that he didn't want to "look back and say there were issues we could have taken that we didn't. So, we are going to proactively make decisions that keep the airspace safe."
Airlines for America, the lobbying group for U.S. carriers, said in a statement that "we are working with the federal government to understand all details of the new reduction mandate and will strive to mitigate impacts to passengers and shippers."
U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman said that "today's announcement from Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford reinforces that safety is the number one priority in our nation's air travel system. The decision to reduce scheduled flight capacity, while necessary to keep our skies safe, will inevitably affect the travel experience, leading to fewer flights, longer delays and more disruptions for travelers."
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