US airlines began cancelling hundreds of flights on Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administration's order to reduce traffic at the country's busiest airports starting Friday because of the ongoing government shutdown. (Pics/AFP)
Updated On: 2025-11-07 03:36 PM IST
Compiled by : ronak mastakar
Close to 500 flights scheduled for Friday were already cut nationwide, and the number of cancellations climbed steadily throughout Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions
The FAA order to cut flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the US includes New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, but the impact will disrupt travel at many smaller airports, too
The FAA seeks to reduce service by 10 per cent across "high-volume" markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown. The move also comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown
Airlines will phase in the 10 per cent reduction in their flight schedules at the airports across more than two dozen states. Just hours before the reductions went into place, airlines were scrambling to figure out where to cut and some travellers began changing or cancelling itineraries preemptively
Travellers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to see if their flights would take off as scheduled
