Drastic cuts in flights as Washington shutdown hits travel

Travellers across the US were left scrambling to adjust their plans yesterday as airports experienced a significant reduction in schedules amid an ongoing government spending shutdown.

- Oliver Holmes Edward Helmore

An official order to make drastic cuts in commercial air traffic took effect yesterday, with the travel chaos expected to have international repercussions. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the move was necessary to maintain air traffic control safety during the shutdown, now the longest recorded and with no sign of a resolution.

While airlines have started to reduce domestic flights, global hubs such as JFK in New York will be affected, meaning delays and sudden changes that could have a cascading effect on international air traffic.

“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” said Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator.