Aviation authorities scale back flight restrictions following government shutdown resolution, though forwarders demand rapid return to full capacity
Photo: Shutterstock/Jaromir Chalabala
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) have reduced their planned flight cuts at 40 airports to 3% following the end of the federal government shutdown.
The FAA had implemented flight cuts of 6% with plans to increase the reduction to 10% as a result of aviation worker shortages due to the government shutdown.
However, last Friday, the two bodies announced that from 15 November, the reduction would be narrowed to 3% following a recommendation from the safety and operations team at the FAA.
The 3% reduction will remain in place while the FAA monitors system performance throughout the weekend and evaluates whether normal operations can resume.
“The decision reflects improvements in air traffic controller staffing levels and a continued decline in staffing-trigger events across the National Airspace System (NAS),” the FAA said.
Last week, the Airforwarders Association (AfA) called on policymakers to quickly reverse the flight cuts that it had implemented after the shutdown ended.
The forwarder organisation said the reopening of government must include immediate steps to reimburse the 1.4m unpaid federal workers, increase flight capacity, resume export license processing and “restore the stability that businesses and supply chains need”.
Speaking at the Air Cargo Americas conference in Miami, Brandon Fried, AfA executive director, said: “We now need a rapid return to predictable operations. Forwarders and their customers have endured weeks of uncertainty, strained service levels, and reduced airport capacity.
“Restoring full staffing and reversing the cuts in flight capacity is essential to keeping cargo moving, protecting economic activity, and ensuring that federal employees who kept working during the shutdown are paid promptly.”
Fried called for clear communication on the timeline for reinstating full capacity, noting that forwarders require dependable schedules to meet customer commitments and maintain supply chain integrity.
