🔗 Share this article Administration Lowers US Air Travel as Government Closure Stretches On As the historic federal government closure stretches toward day 38, US airspace is about to get a little less busy. The same cannot be said for US airports. Precautionary Steps Enacted The federal aviation regulatory body has said air travel is being curtailed to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government shutdown, setting a new duration record and with no apparent progress of a resolution between Republicans and Democrats to end the federal budget standoff. Flight oversight bodies pinpointed “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6 a.m. Eastern on Friday, a step requiring airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a cascade of scheduling complications and delays at major US air terminals. Administration Remarks Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, stated on social media Thursday that the action was “not about politics” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and alleviating growing safety concerns in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”. “It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” Duffy remarked. Flight Cancellations Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts may constitute approximately 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium. Targeted Terminals The affected airports including over 25 states include the highest-volume locations across the US – such as Georgia's capital, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, DFW, MCO, Los Angeles, MIA and SFO. In some of the biggest cities – like New York, Texas city and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be impacted. Each of the three air terminals operating in the nation's capital region – Dulles Airport, BWI and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be impacted, inevitably causing delays and cancellations for government officials as well as additional passengers. Additional Developments Here’s the compilation of American air terminals decreasing flights on Friday as a result of federal government closure. A previous justice department staffer who threw a sandwich at a government officer during the administration's law enforcement increase in DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday representing a recent legal setback of the federal intervention. Certain Democratic lawmakers viewed Tuesday’s major voting successes as evidence they should stand firm and gain maximum concessions from conservative lawmakers before consenting to conclude the lengthiest federal closure in history. Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, after her declaration that post twenty congressional sessions in Congress she will leave office. The thinktank head, the director of the political research group behind the policy blueprint, expressed regret for supporting Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to step down.