(New York) The American Secretary of Transport was delighted on Friday that the airspace of the United States had experienced one of its “best days” the day before since the start of the budgetary paralysis in the United States, the end of which was ratified on Wednesday after a record duration, with very few controllers absent.
“Yesterday was one of the best days for our airspace in a while with just a few air traffic controllers missing on duty,” said Sean Duffy, on his X account.
“We are reviewing the data provided and working hard to return the airspace to normal” (ATC), he added.
The 6% reduction in domestic flights at 12 busy airports, implemented on November 13 by the American aviation regulator (FAA), remains in place until further notice.
This measure had reduced the scope of that of November 7 imposing a 10% reduction in flights in around forty American airports.
These limitations are a consequence of the budgetary shutdown in the United States, which began on October 3 and officially ended on Wednesday. A record duration.
Hundreds of thousands of civil servants have been placed on partial unemployment while others, considered essential, have been called upon to work without pay.
Among the latter, thousands of air traffic controllers but, as the days went by, absenteeism increased in control towers which were already suffering from a lack of staff before the budgetary paralysis.
According to Cirium, a data provider for aeronautics, only 2% of flights scheduled for Friday had been canceled at the latest report released at 8 a.m., i.e. 540 flights out of the 25,294 scheduled to take off from an American airport.
Atlanta, Chicago-O’Hare, Newark, Dallas Fort Worth and Denver airports were the most affected with around twenty cancellations each.
Normally, the cancellation rate is 1%, specifies Cirium, which expects a return to normal by Monday.
“Fortunately, ATC staffing levels are showing very positive signs of improvement and we look forward to resuming normal operations once the FAA gives authorization,” Airlines for America (A4A), an association representing major American airlines, told AFP.
The return to normal will take place just before the big departures for the Thanksgiving festivities, an unmissable family event for Americans on November 27. A record number of air passengers is expected.
