Greater than 700 flights nationwide have been canceled Saturday because the Federal Aviation Administration continues limiting flight capability at 40 main U.S. airports amid the federal government shutdown.
As of 6 a.m. ET on Saturday, 754 flights have already been canceled nationwide and the entire may eclipse Friday’s toll of 1,024 cancellations.
Nonetheless, regardless of greater than 1,000 flights being canceled on Friday, main delays at airports throughout the nation proceed to persist as a consequence of staffing points in air site visitors controller towers and facilities.
If the federal government shutdown continues, extra air journey reductions may very well be on the best way, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned in an interview on ABC Information Dwell on Friday.
“My hope is that this authorities shutdown will finish quickly and we are able to get again within the enterprise of letting People journey,” Duffy mentioned within the interview.
It’s potential the Division of Transportation could ask airways to cancel greater than 10% of their flights if controllers maintain calling out in greater numbers, Duffy instructed ABC Information.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 07: An Air France airplane takes off over a United Airways airplane at San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) on November 07, 2025 in San Francisco, California. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is lowering flights by 10 % at 40 main airports nationwide, together with SFO, starting Friday amid air site visitors management staffing shortages ensuing from the federal authorities shutdown.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Photos
Duffy mentioned the FAA has requested non-public jets to keep away from flying on the 40 airports impacted by the flight reductions, although they’re presently not prohibited from flying there. He mentioned non-public jet corporations have been cooperative and are selecting alternate airports to assist alleviate the strain at these airports.
The cancellations are the newest — and maybe greatest — disruption to air journey for the reason that authorities shutdown started greater than a month in the past.
The FAA determined to not lower any worldwide flights as it will be a violation of worldwide agreements with the nations, in accordance with Duffy.
“We’ve got worldwide agreements that we abide by, and due to these worldwide agreements, I am not going to impression these worldwide flights. And since if I do, what’s going to occur is we have now different nations which are ready to have a breach of these contracts from the US to allow them to lower down American flights, after which that will have a really lengthy lasting impression on our capacity to to to ship vacationers from the U.S. to these companions which have the agreements,” Duffy mentioned.
