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As the historic federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US airspace are set to become a little less busy. Contrastingly for US airports.

Safety Measures Put in Place

The federal aviation regulatory body has said flight numbers are being lowered to ensure air traffic control safety during the federal government funding lapse, setting a new duration record and with little indication of a solution between GOP lawmakers and liberal officials to end the federal budget standoff.

Aviation authorities selected “congested corridors” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by 6 a.m. Eastern on Friday, a step requiring airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a cascade of scheduling issues and setbacks at key American travel hubs.

Government Commentary

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, wrote on online platforms Thursday that the action was “unrelated to political motives” but rather “about assessing the data and reducing growing safety concerns in the system as controllers continue working without pay”.

“Air travel remains secure today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the preventive measures we are taking,” the official stated.

Airline Cutbacks

Experts predict numerous potentially thousands of flights could be canceled. These reductions could represent approximately 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, per an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The affected airports including over 25 states include the busiest ones across the US – such as Atlanta, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, MCO, Los Angeles, Miami and SFO. Within major metropolitan areas – such as New York, Houston and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be involved.

All three airports operating in the Washington DC area – Dulles Airport, Baltimore/Washington international and DCA – will be involved, certainly generating delays and cancellations for government officials as well as the flying public.

Other Developments

• Here’s the roster of domestic airports decreasing flights on Friday because of federal government funding lapse.
• A previous justice department staffer who threw a sandwich at a government officer during Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in the capital was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal action.
• Some Democratic legislators saw Tuesday’s significant election victories as indication they should maintain their position and extract as much as possible from GOP members before agreeing to end the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “symbol” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, subsequent to her statement that after 20 terms in Congress she plans to retire.
• Kevin Roberts, the leader of the conservative thinktank behind the policy blueprint, expressed regret for backing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler supporter Nick Fuentes, but is declining demands to resign.