The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 "high-volume" markets beginning Friday morning to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown.
Indianapolis International Airport is among the markets that will be affected by the reduction, which stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide.
The FAA is confronting staffing shortages among air traffic controllers who have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1, with some calling out of work.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would not wait for a crisis to act, citing growing staffing pressures caused by the shutdown.
"We can't ignore it," he said.
Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they will meet later Wednesday with airline executives to determine how to safely implement the reduction in flights.
"The early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating," Bedford said.
Both Bedford and Duffy declined at a news conference Wednesday to name the affected markets until they speak with the airlines first. Bedford said a list would be released Thursday.
"If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures," he said, "we'll come back and take additional measures."
Local Response
Indianapolis Airport Authority officials said they are closely monitoring the situation and awaiting official details from the FAA. At this time, Indianapolis International Airport is under normal operations. IAA officials strongly urge passengers to check with their airlines regarding flight changes.
Airline Responses
Major airlines serving Indianapolis have announced their plans for handling the mandated reductions.
Delta Air Lines is complying with the directive from the FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation to reduce flights at 40 major U.S. airports beginning Friday, November 7. Delta expects to operate the vast majority of flights as scheduled, including all long-haul international service, and will work to minimize customer impact while keeping safety the top priority. The airline is providing additional flexibility to customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets during the impacted travel period to change, cancel or refund their flights, including Delta Main Basic fares, without penalty. These flight reductions are in response to air traffic control staffing shortages stemming from the ongoing government shutdown and are intended to maintain safety across the national airspace system.
American Airlines said the vast majority of customers' travel will be unaffected, and long-haul international travel will remain as scheduled. The airline will proactively reach out to impacted customers and is offering flight changes or refunds without penalty for affected passengers.
United Airlines said its long-haul international flying and hub-to-hub flying will not be impacted by the schedule reduction. Instead, the airline will focus reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between hubs. United will still offer about 4,000 flights per day even with the reductions.
All airlines emphasized they will not compromise on safety and encouraged customers to check flight status through their websites and mobile apps.
Ongoing Impact
There have already been delays at airports across the country — sometimes hours long — because the FAA slows down or stops traffic temporarily anytime it is short on controllers. Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages, and on Sunday, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the wider travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium says flight data showed a "broader slowdown" last Thursday across the nation's aviation system for the first time since the shutdown began, suggesting staffing-related disruptions were starting to spread. That came days after controllers missed their first full paychecks.
Earlier this week, Duffy warned there could be chaos in the skies next week if the shutdown drags on long enough to keep air traffic controllers from getting their next paychecks on Tuesday.
Most controllers have continued to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage payments and other expenses unless controllers call out.
