DOT & FAA Announce Reduction of Required Flight Cuts to 3 Percent
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford today announced that the required flight reductions at 40 airports will be lowered from 6 percent to 3 percent, effective November 15 at 6 a.m., following a recommendation from the safety and operations team at the FAA. The decision reflects improvements in air traffic controller staffing levels and a continued decline in staffing-trigger events across the National Airspace System (NAS).
The 3 percent reduction will remain in place while the FAA monitors system performance throughout the weekend and evaluates whether normal operations can resume.
There has been a rapid decline in staffing-triggers since the November 8th record high of 81:
- Eleven staffing triggers on Tuesday, November 11
- Thirteen staffing triggers on Wednesday, November 12
- Four staffing triggers on Thursday, November 13
- Three staffing triggers today
The following restrictions will remain in place:
- Some general aviation operations at 12 airports.
- Some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers.
- Commercial space launches and reentries permitted only between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time.
- Parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger.
The 40 affected high-impact airport list remains the same. This includes:
ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
BOS – Boston Logan International Airport
BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport
CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport
CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
DAL – Dallas Love Field
DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
DEN – Denver International Airport
DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport
FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
HNL – Honolulu International Airport
HOU – William P. Hobby Airport
IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport
IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
IND – Indianapolis International Airport
JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
LAX – Los Angeles International Airport
LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport
MCO – Orlando International Airport
MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport
MEM – Memphis International Airport
MIA – Miami International Airport
MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
OAK – Oakland International Airport
ONT – Ontario International Airport
ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport
PDX – Portland International Airport
PHL – Philadelphia International Airport
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
SAN – San Diego International Airport
SDF – Louisville International Airport
SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
SFO – San Francisco International Airport
SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport
TEB – Teterboro Airport
TPA – Tampa International Airport