Amid the record-breaking government shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made an unprecedented decision to reduce flights across the nation, a move scheduled to commence on Friday morning.

This sweeping order will affect 40 airports located in over two dozen states, targeting major hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the FAA’s directive, the impact will be felt across a broad spectrum of facilities.

In major metropolitan areas like New York, Houston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., multiple airports will face disruptions. The effects are likely to trickle down to smaller airports, compounding the challenges for air travel.

Airlines have been quick to respond, scrambling to realign their schedules. As part of these adjustments, many began canceling flights on Thursday in anticipation of the FAA’s directive. Meanwhile, travelers with weekend and future plans find themselves anxiously awaiting news on whether their flights will proceed as planned.

So far, more than 810 flights have been canceled nationwide, according to data from FlightAware. Delta Air Lines has announced it will cancel approximately 170 flights on Friday. Similarly, American Airlines is set to cut 220 flights each day through Monday, illustrating the extensive reach of this disruption.

The FAA said the reductions would start at 4% and ramp up to 10% by Nov. 14.

They are to be in effect between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and impact all commercial airlines.

The agency said the cutbacks are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month.

Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers of them have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount.

“You can’t expect people to go in to work when they’re not getting a paycheck,” said Kelly Matthews of Flat Rock, Michigan, a frequent business traveler who has canceled most of her upcoming trips.

“I mean it’s not a matter of them not wanting to do the job — but you can’t afford to pay for gas, your day care and everything else.”

The order comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown.

Airlines said they would try to minimize impact on customers. Some planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-size cities.

Carriers are required to refund customers whose flights are canceled but not to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation.

Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the reductions will “have a noticeable impact across the US air transportation system.”

The cuts could also slow package service as two airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this week’s deadly cargo plane crash.