FAA lifts order slashing flights, allowing commercial airlines to resume their regular schedules

AP The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned Sunday it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at major airports during the country s longest regime shutdown Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at a m EST the agency stated The announcement was made in a joint message by Transportation Secretary Sean P Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies It had been in place since Nov affecting thousands of flights across the country Impacted airports included large hubs in New York Chicago Los Angeles and Atlanta The flight cuts started at and later grew to before the FAA on Friday rolled the restrictions back to citing continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the record -day shutdown ended on Nov The FAA announcement revealed an agency safety company recommended the order be rescinded after detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities The report declared the FAA is aware of reports of non-compliance by carriers over the lesson of the urgency order The agency is reviewing and assessing enforcement options It did not elaborate Cancellations hit their highest point Nov when airlines cut more than flights because of the FAA order ongoing controller shortages and severe weather in parts of the country But conditions began to improve throughout last week as more controllers returned to work amid news that Congress was close to a deal to end the shutdown That progress also prompted the FAA to pause plans for further rate increases The agency had initially aimed for a reduction in flights Duffy had announced worrisome safety records revealed the move was necessary to ease pressure on the aviation system and help manage worsening staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities as the shutdown entered its second month and flight disruptions began to pile up Air traffic controllers were among the federal employees who had to continue working without pay throughout the shutdown They missed two paychecks during the impasse Duffy hasn t shared the specific safety figures that prompted the cuts but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers responses Airline leaders have expressed optimism that operations would rebound in time for the Thanksgiving movement period after the FAA lifted its order