menu
menu
News

FAA to cut 10% of flights at 40 busiest US airports: Which ones are likely to be affected? Full list here

Livemint
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is 3,500 air traffic controllers short of the targeted staffing levels, and with many working overtime and without pay due to the government shutdown, there are concerns about performance and by extension, safety.
A staff uploads packages on a Delta Air Lines plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York City, U.S., April 23, 2025. For representational purposes.(Reuters)

The US is set to see a 10% cut in flights across 40 major airports, with the government shutdown crossing the 35-day mark and becoming the longest in US history.

The move was announced by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on November 5, with as many as 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transport Security Administration (TSA) officials working without pay as per Reuters.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also 3,500 air traffic controllers short of the targeted staffing levels, and with many working overtime, there are concerns about performance and by extension, safety.

"We had a gut check of what is our job. Our job to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe," said Duffy, who cited a confidential safety assessment highlighting potential dips in performance of air traffic controllers.

Following up, Bryan Bedford, the FAA Administrator, said, "When we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can't ignore it. We can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating so the system is extremely safe today, will be extremely safe tomorrow."

Which airports are affected?

Although the FAA has said that 40 aviation markets across the US will be affected by the flight service cuts, it has not specified airports by name.

That said, Reuters reported that the cuts were expected to hit the 30 busiest airports in the US, including those serving New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, and the capital, Washington DC.

The cuts are expected to reduce as many as 1,800 flights and 268,000 flight seats, as per aviation analytics firm Cirium.

List of airports likely to be affected

The FAA categorizes the ‘busiest’ airports in the US based on the number of annual enplanements.

With the cuts expected to hit some of the busiest airports, here is the full list of air transport hubs that are likely to be affected.

(NOTE: List based on FAA data from 2024)

What have airlines said?

Although most airlines are yet to comment, American Airlines has said that the vast majority of their customers at least are unlikely to be affected.

Southwest Airlines, meanwhile, has said that it is evaluating the impact of the cuts to its flight schedule.

While the Associated Press has reached out to other major carriers such as Delta and United Airlines, they are yet to comment.

by Mint
This article is provided by Mint, authorized for use, and represents solely the author’s personal opinions. Please contact us in the event of any potential infringement.
About us Contact us Privacy policy