Normal Flight Operations Resume in the US After Government Shutdown

US flights are set to return to normal schedules on Monday after reductions imposed during the recent government shutdown were lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced.

In a statement on Sunday evening, the FAA said restrictions would end and “normal operations can resume” nationwide from 6:00 a.m. Washington time (1100 GMT) on Monday.

During the record 43-day shutdown, thousands of flights were cancelled due to understaffing. At 40 of the busiest US airports, around 10 percent of domestic flights were cut because air traffic control staff were required to work without pay amid the budget impasse. The industry also faced pressure after President Donald Trump warned that controllers who called in sick could face pay deductions, calling them unpatriotic.

Even after the shutdown officially ended on Wednesday, flights remained reduced by three percent over the weekend, as some airlines had yet to fully comply with FAA directives.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system.”

The lifting of restrictions comes just days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on November 27, when passenger traffic is expected to surge.