The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that federally ordered flight reductions of scheduled operations at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports will ease from 6 percent to 3 percent beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday.
According to the FAA, this adjustment reflects early improvements in air traffic controller staffing levels and a decline in staffing-trigger events across the National Airspace System following the reopening of the federal government. Earlier this week, DOT paused the planned escalation of cuts to 8 percent and 10 percent, citing increased controller attendance. The latest change comes as an addendum to that Emergency Order.
Restrictions on general aviation operations at 12 high impact airports remain in place for the time being. As restrictions on scheduled operations scale down, NATA continues to advocate for restoration of full GA access.