FAA Lifts Flight Restriction Mandates, Cancellations Drop Drastically

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the government-mandated cuts in domestic flights that were put in place during the record-breaking federal shutdown.

According to Reuters, the FAA made the announcement Sunday night, saying impacted flights at 40 airports across the United States would return to full service on Monday morning at 6 a.m. ET now that air traffic controllers are paid and back to full force.

The FAA revealed that restrictions on space launches and general aviation flights had been lifted, with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford saying that the decision “reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns.”

Reuters is reporting that airlines expected the move, as the top U.S. carriers “had not canceled any flights for Monday and were not planning to do so.”

Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that many of the airports where the flight service cuts were mandated ignored the order, with just a 0.36 percent cancellation rate in the U.S. on Sunday, a number well below the FAA mandate.

As a result, the FAA said it was “aware of reports of non-compliance by carriers over the course of the emergency order,” and the federal agency would review enforcement options, including “a fine of up to $75,000 for every flight operated above the mandated limits.”

The cuts to flight service were originally implemented to minimize travel disruptions caused by shortages of air traffic controllers during the shutdown. While federal employees are back to work, the FAA revealed that it is still around 3,500 air traffic controllers short of its targeted staffing levels.

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