The Federal Aviation Administration is cutting air traffic by 10 percent due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Hundreds of flights across the US have been cancelled following an order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily cut air traffic by 10 percent at the country’s 40 largest airports to maintain safety amid a shortage of air traffic controllers due to the government shutdown.

More than 790 flights scheduled for Friday were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

That number, already four times higher than Thursday’s daily total of cancellations, was likely to keep climbing, while almost 500 have been cancelled for Saturday so far, according to the website.

The FAA issued its order on Thursday in response to the growing number of absences by air traffic controllers amid the record-breaking US government shutdown, as Republicans and Democrats remain locked in a standoff in Congress over legislation to fund government services.

“Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay,” the FAA order said.

“This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers. This past weekend, there were 2,740 delays at various airports,” it said.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the decision to cancel flights was a proactive safety decision rather than a political measure as the shutdown enters its 38th day on Friday.

“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” Duffy said.

“It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking,” he said.

.@USDOT has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety.

This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue working without pay.

It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because… pic.twitter.com/YRrq5sdy4T

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 7, 2025

The FAA’s phased-in cuts to air traffic over the next week will see a 4 percent reduction in air traffic on Friday, and will end with 10 percent by November 14.

The FAA’s order also specifies that airlines do not need to cut international flights, although this decision will be left up to their discretion.

Impacted airports include Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s John F Kennedy international airports.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said his department would not hesitate to take “further action”, suggesting further cuts to flights could be made down the road.

The FAA decision puts renewed pressure on Senate Democrats, who are blocking a government spending bill over healthcare spending, as the US is preparing for its busiest travel days of the year at the end of November.

The FAA employed just over 14,000 air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2024, according to its website.

They are among the 730,000 “essential” federal employees who have been working without pay for the past five weeks, while another 670,000 have been furloughed, according to the Washington, DC-based Bipartisan Policy Center.