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Amid the record-breaking federal government closure stretches toward day 38, US airspace is about to get somewhat quieter. The same cannot be said for US terminals.

Precautionary Steps Implemented

The federal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said air travel is being curtailed to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government closure, setting a new duration record and with no apparent progress of a solution between conservative legislators and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget standoff.

Airline regulators selected “congested corridors” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to cancel thousands of flights and cause a cascade of scheduling problems and delays at major US air terminals.

Official Statement

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, wrote on X Thursday that the decision was “unrelated to political motives” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and reducing growing safety concerns in the system as controllers continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” the official stated.

Airline Cutbacks

Specialists anticipate numerous potentially thousands of flights may be scrapped. The cuts could represent up to 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats collectively, according to an projection by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The affected airports covering more than two dozen states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including ATL, North Carolina's city, Denver, DFW, Florida destination, LAX, MIA and San Francisco. Among key urban centers – including New York, Houston and Chicago – various airports will be impacted.

Each of the three air terminals operating in the Washington DC area – Washington Dulles international, BWI Airport and DCA – will be affected, inevitably causing delays and cancellations for elected representatives as well as the flying public.

Additional Developments

• This is the list of US airports decreasing flights 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 surge in the capital received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal setback of the federal involvement.
• Certain Democratic lawmakers saw Tuesday’s significant election victories as evidence they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from GOP members before agreeing to end the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Liberal lawmakers commended Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, after her announcement that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she intends to step down.
• The thinktank head, the director of the right-leaning policy organization behind the policy blueprint, issued an apology for backing the commentator's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to leave his position.