The first day marked by hundreds of cancellations and cascading delays. Unprepared passengers, an air transport system congested and rapidly worsening

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at the direction of Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, has announced and implemented a drastic measure to address the operational emergency caused by the prolonged US federal government shutdown (see AVIONEWS 1 and 2). Starting today, November 7, 2025, a progressive reduction of daily flight capacity is in effect at 40 of the country’s main airports, which will reach a maximum cap of 10%.

The primary reason for this reduction lies in a critical staff shortage, particularly of air traffic controllers. With the shutdown, much of the non-essential workforce has been placed on unpaid leave (furlough), compromising the full operational capability of control towers and Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs).

The FAA stated that the order was issued to maintain the highest safety standards in the national airspace, ensuring that workload does not exceed the capabilities of a reduced workforce. Airlines have been ordered to reduce domestic operations, applying the capacity reduction between 6:00 and 22:00 each day. The objective is to reach a maximum reduction of 10% if the shutdown continues. Carriers began reductions at around 4%, then increased progressively in the following days until reaching the 10% threshold. It is up to individual airlines to decide which specific flights to cancel or delay to comply with the imposed cap.

The 40 US airports affected

The measure affects the nation’s largest passenger and cargo hubs. Below is the official list of the 40 airports subject to the reduction:

- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Boston Logan International Airport
- Baltimore/Washington International Airport
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
- Dallas Love Field
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- Denver International Airport
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
- Honolulu International Airport
- William P. Hobby Airport
- Washington Dulles International Airport
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
- Indianapolis International Airport
- New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
- Harry Reid International Airport
- Los Angeles International Airport
- New York LaGuardia Airport
- Orlando International Airport
- Chicago Midway International Airport
- Memphis International Airport
- Miami International Airport
- Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
- Oakland International Airport
- Ontario International Airport
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Portland International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- San Diego International Airport
- Louisville International Airport
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
- San Francisco International Airport
- Salt Lake City International Airport
- Teterboro Airport
- Tampa International Airport

The initial impacts on November 7

The implementation of the measure has immediately had a significant impact on the air transport system. According to early reports, the day has been characterized by a sharp increase in cancellations and delays at the affected airports, despite the reduction beginning today at the lower level of 4%. Midday (local time) data show that the capacity cut, combined with airlines' flight rescheduling, has led to:

- Hundreds of cancellations: the busiest hubs registered the highest peaks. For example, the New York, Chicago and Atlanta airports led the ranking for number of flights canceled.

- Chain delays: the reduced number of air traffic controllers has slowed ground and in-flight operations, causing significant delays, often exceeding 90 minutes. This effect has propagated in a chain across all 40 airports and beyond, affecting connections to and from cities not on the list but linked to the major hubs.

The situation is chaotic and rapidly deteriorating, with significant disruptions and long wait times for passengers seeking re-accommodation on subsequent flights. The short-term outlook remains critical until a political solution to the shutdown is found that allows FAA personnel on furlough to return to duty, avoiding the reaching of the 10% maximum reduction.