US restores normal air traffic operations after longest govt shutdown!
Miami, United States, (EFE).
The United States Department of Transportation announced Sunday that air-travel restrictions introduced during the government shutdown will be lifted Monday, restoring normal operations across the national air-traffic system.
The move ends flight-reduction measures implemented at 40 major airports by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after the 43-day partial government shutdown caused staffing shortfalls among air-traffic controllers.
“I want to thank the FAA’s dedicated safety team for keeping our skies secure during the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history and the country’s patience for putting safety first,” Sean P. Duffy, transportation secretary, said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, controllers have returned to their posts and normal operations can resume.”
“Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand-new, state-of-the-art air-traffic control system the American people deserve.” He added.
Approximately 3,000 controllers were reportedly absent during the shutdown, and the FAA cited up to 9,000 daily flight delays and 2,900 cancellations at peak periods of the crisis. EFE reported that some airports experienced up to a 6 percent reduction in flights during the staffing shortfalls.
Beyond commercial flight operations, the DOT and FAA also said other restrictions tied to the shutdown will end, including limits on commercial space launches, general aviation operations at 12 airports, and parachute/photo missions near sensitive zones.
The restoration of normal operations comes after the FAA’s latest safety review found a steady decline in staffing-trigger events, prompting the agency to lift the emergency reduction order under which flight activity had been curtailed.
