The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country’s longest government shutdown. The unprecedented order, which had been in place since Nov. 7 and had affected thousands of flights across the country, went into effect Monday.
The FAA order had been issued amid safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown. Impacted airports included large hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6% before the FAA on Friday rolled the restrictions back to 3%, citing continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the record 43-day shutdown ended on Nov. 12.
The number of flights cancelled on the weekend was at its lowest point since the order took effect and was well below the 3% cuts FAA was requiring for Saturday and Sunday. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that less than 1% of all flights were cancelled.
The FAA statement said an agency safety team recommended the order be rescinded after “detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.”
Airline leaders have expressed optimism that operations would rebound in time for the Thanksgiving travel period after the FAA lifted its order.
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