Thousands of flights in danger of cancellation as FAA announces major cuts

Travelers successful terminal A astatine Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) successful Newark, New Jersey, US, connected Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.

The authorities shutdown-spurred airport chaos is astir to get a full batch worse.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it volition trim formation volumes by 10 percent crossed 40 large airports successful response, a determination that could endanger 3,000 to 4,500 flights daily. The cuts volition impact “high volume” markets, including successful Atlanta, Dallas, New York City and Los Angeles, according to CBS. The FAA has not formally announced which airports volition person their capableness cut. 

“I’m not alert successful my 35-year past successful the aviation marketplace wherever we’ve had a concern wherever we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said astatine a quality conference, according to the AP.

The authorities shutdown, which is present the longest successful US history, has already been causing thousands of delays each day, arsenic good arsenic agelong waits astatine airdrome security. Some large airports person adjacent been forced to run without aerial postulation power for hours astatine a time.

Air postulation controllers and TSA agents person missed respective paychecks arsenic a effect of the shutdown. But some are considered indispensable authorities employees that requires them to proceed working.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been 1 of the much vocal members of President Trump’s furniture successful heaping scorn connected Democrats during the shutdown, including posting violative AI-generated images of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries connected X. And Democrats person accused him of utilizing his power implicit the nation’s airspace arsenic leverage successful the stalemate. Earlier this week, Duffy told CNBC that helium could “shut the full airspace down” if the shutdown drags on.