US freezes flight cuts at 6% as air traffic control absences shrink
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US airlines cancelled 900 flights on Nov 12 - the fewest in six days - under the FAA’s 6% per cent requirement.
PHOTO: EPA
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WASHINGTON - The Trump administration late on Nov 12 froze government-imposed flight cuts at 40 major airports at 6 per cent after air traffic control absences fell sharply, hours ahead of an expected end to the record-long US government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week ordered 8 per cent cuts for Nov 13 and 10 per cent for Nov 14, affecting only domestic flights.
But it opted to ease those cancellations after disruptions due to air traffic control absences declined dramatically in recent days as the chances of a government reopening rose
“The 6 per cent hold will remain in place as the FAA continues to assess whether the system can gradually return to normal operations,” the agency said.
US airlines cancelled 900 flights on Nov 12 – the fewest in six days – under the FAA’s 6 per cent requirement, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.
Air traffic control absences accounted for just 1 per cent of delays on Nov 11, compared with 5 per cent on average before the shutdown, the FAA said.
The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. Many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown led to them working without pay.
Before the government trimmed the cuts planned for Nov 12, several airlines had only cancelled around 6 per cent of flights as they expected a reduction of that level rather than the originally planned 8 per cent, Reuters reported earlier.
“If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operation,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on Nov 12.
Airlines are still hopeful the cuts will be reduced over the weekend.
“Once the shutdown ends, we’re optimistic that the FAA will allow airlines to resume normal operations within a few days,” Southwest Airlines chief operating officer Andrew Watterson told employees in a note.
Delays reduced sharply
Flight operations are improving dramatically, with just 2,000 delays on Nov 12 compared with 4,000 on Nov 11 and nearly 10,000 on Nov 10, according to FlightAware.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC he thinks the aviation system will be largely back to normal this weekend, but said the recent cancellations will cost airlines and the economy a significant amount.
Air traffic absences have led to tens of thousands of flight cancellations
Last weekend, 1.2 million passengers were delayed or had flights cancelled due to air traffic controller absences.
Some were absent because they needed to work second jobs or could not afford child care.
Mr Duffy said air traffic controllers will get a lump sum payment equal to 70 per cent of their back pay within 48 hours of the shutdown ending.
A US Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on Nov 19 on the impact of the shutdown on aviation safety. REUTERS
