FAA lifts emergency flight cuts as U.S. Government reopens

The Federal Aviation Administration will end its emergency order reducing flight operations at 40 major US airports, with normal schedules set to resume Monday at 06:00, officials announced Sunday.

The mandate, imposed on November 7 amid the protracted government shutdown, had forced at least a 4% reduction in air traffic capacity at some of the nation’s busiest hubs. The cuts triggered thousands of delays and hundreds of cancellations nationwide as understaffed air traffic control centres struggled to maintain safe operations.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the decision to rescind the order follows a sharp improvement in staffing levels and an easing of nationwide disruptions. “Today’s decision to rescind the order reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns across the NAS and allows us to return to normal operations,” Bedford said, adding that the FAA logged just one staffing-related issue on Sunday — down dramatically from a record 81 on November 8.

The move comes days after President Donald Trump signed legislation reopening the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in US history. With federal employees returning to work, air traffic control staffing has begun to stabilise, easing pressure on the National Airspace System.

Officials credited FAA safety and operations teams for maintaining system reliability throughout the crisis, emphasising that restoring full capacity marks a significant step toward normalcy for millions of travellers ahead of the busy holiday season.