"The announcement was made in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place since Nov. 7, affecting thousands of flights across the country."
"The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6% before the FAA on Friday rolled the restrictions back to 3%, citing continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the record 43-day shutdown ended on Nov. 12. The number of flights canceled this weekend was at its lowest point since the order took effect and was well below the 3% cuts FAA was requiring for Saturday and Sunday."
"Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that less than 1% of all flights were canceled this weekend. The flight tracking website FlightAware said 149 flights were cut Sunday and 315 were canceled on Saturday. The FAA statement said an agency safety team recommended the order be rescinded after "detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.""
The FAA lifted all commercial flight restrictions at 40 major airports, allowing airlines to resume regular schedules starting Monday at 6 a.m. EST. The limits were imposed Nov. 7 during a 43-day government shutdown because staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities raised safety concerns. Initial cuts began at 4%, rose to 6%, then were reduced to 3% before the order was rescinded. Cancellations fell sharply over the weekend, with Cirium reporting under 1% canceled and FlightAware listing 149 flights cut Sunday. A safety team cited improving trends and a decline in staffing-trigger events, and the FAA is reviewing carrier non-compliance.
Read at www.npr.org
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