US budget shutdown: thousands of flights canceled

As of Sunday night, the number of flight cancellations had exceeded 2,300, with more than 8,000 delays, according to data from the FlightAware tracking platform.

Since Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US air transport regulator, has been asking airlines to gradually reduce their domestic flights to ease pressure on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Fox News that air traffic will be drastically reduced if there is no budget agreement, just as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches at the end of November. This weekend also marks the start of the holiday shopping season, which many retailers depend on.

“We will see very few air traffic controllers coming to work, which means there will be very few flights taking off and landing,” he said.

“Maneuver”

The gradual reduction in air traffic is expected to see 10% of flights canceled by next Friday, compared to the current 4%, Duffy detailed.