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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is poised to lift all flight restrictions at major U.S. airports following a protracted government shutdown that recently disrupted aviation operations significantly.
In a directive issued on Sunday, the FAA announced its decision to cease the 3 percent reduction in operations at certain airports, with a return to standard operating levels scheduled for Monday at 6:00 a.m.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed gratitude to the FAA’s committed safety team for maintaining security in the skies throughout the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. He also commended the public for prioritizing safety, as stated in a press release on Sunday.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, air traffic controllers have resumed their duties, allowing normal operations to continue,” Duffy remarked.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Duffy had cautioned about the potential for even greater disruptions in air travel if the shutdown persisted into the weekend.
Last week, the Senate voted to end the recent government shutdown, which had been ongoing for more than a month. The upper chamber voted 60-40 on a bill to fund military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through the end of September, and the rest of the government for the next two and a half months.
The FAA and Transportation Department had previously said flight reductions would go down from 6 percent to 3 percent over the weekend at 40 major airports.
“I am grateful for the hard work of the FAA safety and operations teams and for their focus on the safety of the traveling public,” FAA Administration Bryan Bedford also said in the release.