On the first day of a 4% reduction in operations at 40 airports in the United States, over 1,700 flights have been canceled nationwide, and 32 control towers have been affected due to staffing shortages. The situation is expected to worsen over the weekend if the Senate fails to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
According to aviation data hub Cirium, 1,723 flights were canceled nationwide this Friday, representing 2.1% of the 57,672 scheduled at 40 airports across the country.
Airlines United, with 549 flights, Delta, with around 513, and American, with 429, reported the highest number of cancellations during the day. According to the portal, most were domestic flights.
Eight other airlines also reported cancellations, and aviation authorities reported delays averaging four to five hours nationwide overnight. Airports in Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington were the hardest hit in terms of cancellations, according to FlightAware radar reports.
The situation could worsen over the weekend
Additionally, the Department of Transportation warned that 32 control towers in more than 10 major cities across the country reported significant staffing shortages. At eight of these towers, staff have had to manage overloaded flights and have requested ground stops for departures to handle landing demand.
The air travel crisis intensified this Friday, on day 37 of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The situation could worsen over the weekend, with around 800 flights already canceled and possibly another 1,000 delayed during the day.
The Senate is scheduled to convene on Saturday. However, Republicans have indicated they do not support the alternatives proposed by Democrats to reopen the government, and without consensus, a potential vote could fail.
Image: DiarioNY
