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As the unprecedented federal government standoff nears day 38, US skies are set to become less congested. The same cannot be said for US air travel hubs.

Protective Actions Put in Place

The federal aviation regulatory body announced air travel is being curtailed to maintain air traffic control safety during the federal government closure, currently the lengthiest in history and with little indication of a solution between GOP lawmakers and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget deadlock.

Aviation authorities selected “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6 a.m. Eastern on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to call off thousands of journeys and create a cascade of scheduling issues and hold-ups at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Administration Remarks

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, stated on X Thursday that the action was “not politically driven” but rather “involving evaluation the data and mitigating building risk 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.

Airline Cutbacks

Analysts forecast hundreds or even thousands of flights might be called off. These reductions could represent as many as 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats total, according to an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The targeted air hubs including numerous states include the highest-volume locations across the US – such as Atlanta, North Carolina's city, DEN, DFW, Orlando, California gateway, MIA and SFO. Within major metropolitan areas – including NYC, Texas city and Chicago – multiple airports will be involved.

Each of the three air terminals serving the DC metro – IAD, BWI Airport and Reagan National – will be impacted, inevitably causing flight disruptions for elected representatives as well as other travelers.

Additional Developments

• Below is the roster of domestic airports decreasing flights on Friday because of federal government closure.
• An ex-DOJ worker who tossed food at a federal agent during Donald Trump’s law enforcement increase in Washington DC received a not guilty verdict of assault by a DC jury on Thursday marking another legal rejection of the federal involvement.
• Some Democratic legislators viewed Tuesday’s big electoral wins as evidence they should stand firm and gain maximum concessions from Republicans before approving the termination of the longest government shutdown in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her declaration that following two decades in Congress she intends to step down.
• The thinktank head, the chief of the conservative thinktank behind the policy blueprint, issued an apology for endorsing the commentator's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to leave his position.