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As the historic federal government standoff approaches day 38, US flight paths are set to become somewhat quieter. The same cannot be said for US airports.

Safety Measures Enacted

Donald Trump’s air traffic agency has said flights are being reduced to uphold air traffic control security during the federal government funding lapse, setting a new duration record and with no apparent progress of a solution between Republicans and liberal officials to end the federal budget impasse.

Airline regulators selected “congested corridors” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a step requiring airlines to cancel thousands of flights and trigger a series of scheduling issues and delays at major US air terminals.

Administration Remarks

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, wrote on social media Thursday that the decision was “not about politics” but rather “involving evaluation the data and alleviating accumulating danger in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” the official remarked.

Travel Disruptions

Specialists anticipate hundreds if not thousands of flights may be scrapped. The cuts could represent approximately 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats combined, per an projection by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The affected airports including more than two dozen states include the highest-volume locations across the US – featuring ATL, Charlotte, DEN, DFW, MCO, California gateway, Florida hotspot and SFO. Within major metropolitan areas – such as NYC, Texas city and Chicago – several air terminals will be impacted.

All three airports operating in the DC metro – IAD, BWI and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be affected, certainly generating flight disruptions for elected representatives as well as additional passengers.

Additional Developments

• Below is the roster of domestic airports decreasing flights on Friday as a result of federal government shutdown.
• A former Department of Justice employee who hurled a sandwich at a government officer during Donald Trump’s law enforcement increase in Washington DC was acquitted of assault by a DC jury on Thursday marking another legal setback of the federal involvement.
• Several liberal representatives viewed Tuesday’s significant election victories as evidence they should stand firm and gain maximum concessions from Republicans before approving the termination of the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “bold, groundbreaking” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, following her declaration that after 20 terms in Congress she intends to step down.
• The conservative leader, the director of the conservative thinktank behind the policy blueprint, has apologized for backing Tucker Carlson’s interview with Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, but is resisting calls to step down.