09.11.2025 02:55
A major crisis emerged after airport controllers began to go on strike due to the government shutdown in the United States. More than 1,700 flights were canceled at 40 airports. Recently, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation announced that airspace would be closed in certain regions of the country, while images of thousands of planes circling in the air were also reflected on radar.
After the decision of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reduce flight operations at 40 airports across the country due to the government shutdown, more than 1,700 flights were canceled between yesterday and Sunday.
The negative impact of the U.S. government shutdown on air travel in the country continues. Following the announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday that flight operations would be reduced at 40 airports nationwide due to the shutdown, a significant number of flights were canceled as of yesterday, including over the weekend.
MORE THAN 1700 FLIGHTS CANCELED
According to data from airline analysts, more than 1,700 flights were canceled by Sunday, including about 800 yesterday.
REDUCING FLIGHTS DID NOT PREVENT DELAYS
Despite the canceled flights due to the measures taken, many passengers experienced delays lasting hours on their flights. Since Thursday, a total of approximately 7,000 flights have been delayed, including at least 4,300 yesterday.
Officials stated that the reason for reducing the number of flights was the absence of federal air traffic control and security personnel who were not paid due to the shutdown. It was emphasized that this decision was made to prevent security vulnerabilities in air travel due to negative developments.
FLIGHT REDUCTIONS COULD BE BETWEEN 15% AND 20%
The FAA announced that the reduction in flights at the 40 airports would gradually increase if the government remained shut down. The initial 4% drop, starting with the cancellation of 800 flights yesterday, is expected to rise to 6% by next Tuesday, 8% by Thursday, and 10% by Friday.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that if the deadlock in Congress does not end soon, the reduction rates could rise to between 15% and 20%. Duffy also mentioned that it is anticipated that air traffic control personnel will not return to work immediately if the government reopens.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, the U.S. Transportation Secretary mentioned that airspace would be closed in some regions of the country, while images of thousands of planes circling in the air were reflected on radar.