More than 1,800 flights were either delayed or canceled going into, within, or out of the United States on Thursday, coming hours after the government shutdown was ended, according to a flight-tracking service.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening signed into law a congressional package to reopen the government until Jan. 30, 2026, which ended a more than one-month government shutdown. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed restrictions on flights due to safety reasons, primarily because of a shortfall in air traffic controllers.
Impacts of the shutdown on airports and flights are not expected to entirely go away, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously saying that it will take days for services to return to normal.
Flight reductions at 40 major U.S. airports will remain at 6 percent instead of rising to 10 percent by the end of the week because more air traffic controllers are coming to work, officials said Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Trump warned in a post on Truth Social that air traffic controllers should return to work or potentially face financial penalties, adding that he would be recommending a $10,000 bonus for those who stayed on the job throughout the shutdown.
The FAA’s list of 40 airports spans more than two dozen states and includes large hubs such as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The order requires all commercial airlines to make cuts at those airports.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement that the cuts were due to safety concerns, adding that “data shows that controller staffing is improving rapidly, which allows us to hold flight reductions at six percent while maintaining the highest levels of safety in our airspace.”
“We’ll continue to monitor system performance hour by hour,” he added, “and we won’t hesitate to make further adjustments if needed.”
Airlines for America, the trade group of U.S. airlines, posted on social media that it was grateful for the funding bill. It said reopening the government would allow U.S. airlines to restore operations ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday starting in around two weeks. Airline and hotel trade groups previously urged Congress to act to end the shutdown, warning of potential holiday travel chaos.
“All government shutdowns are irresponsible—period. They jeopardize essential services, erode public confidence and inflict needless economic pain. If Congress ever goes down this foolish path again, essential federal workers—like air traffic controllers and TSA officers—must be paid without interruption,“ U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said. ”America cannot afford another self-inflicted crisis that threatens the systems millions rely on every day.”
