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Amid the unprecedented federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US airspace is about to get less congested. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs.

Safety Measures Put in Place

The current administration's air traffic agency announced flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control security during the federal government closure, setting a new duration record and with no sign of a agreement between conservative legislators and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget deadlock.

Airline regulators pinpointed “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a cascade of scheduling problems and delays at major US air terminals.

Administration Remarks

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, commented on social media Thursday that the action was “not about politics” but rather “about assessing the data and mitigating building risk in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” the official remarked.

Airline Cutbacks

Analysts forecast hundreds if not thousands of flights might be called off. These reductions might account for approximately 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, based on an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The targeted air hubs spanning more than two dozen states include the most trafficked across the US – such as ATL, CLT, Colorado's hub, DFW, MCO, LAX, MIA and San Francisco. Among key urban centers – including NYC, Texas city and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be affected.

The trio of airports operating in the DC metro – Dulles Airport, Baltimore/Washington international and Reagan National – will be affected, likely creating flight disruptions for government officials as well as the flying public.

Additional Developments

• Below is the roster of domestic airports cutting flights on Friday because 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 the capital was acquitted of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal setback of the federal involvement.
• Several liberal representatives viewed Tuesday’s major voting successes as indication they should stand firm and extract as much as possible from conservative lawmakers before approving the termination of the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “bold, groundbreaking” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “most accomplished leader in American history”, subsequent to her announcement that after 20 terms in Congress she plans to retire.
• The thinktank head, the leader of the right-leaning policy organization behind Project 2025, issued an apology for endorsing the host's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to step down.