Duffy Targets Quick End to Nationwide Flight Cuts
Transportation Chief Awaits Safety Data, Government Reopening Before Lifting Restrictions
Key Takeaways:
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the U.S. plans to begin lifting flight reductions at major airports within a week of the government shutdown ending if safety data allows.
- The Transportation Department and FAA had ordered airlines to cut domestic flight capacity at 40 major airports by up to 10% by Nov. 14 due to staffing and safety concerns.
- Duffy said flight restrictions will remain until air traffic controllers return to work and safety metrics improve, with more data to be shared with airlines and Congress later.
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The U.S. government will aim to start moving toward lifting flight reductions at major airports across the country within a week of the shutdown ending, as long as the safety data supports the decision, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Nov. 12.
“It depends on how quickly controllers come back into work and we see an improvement in the data,” Duffy told reporters after an event in Liberty, N.C. “My hope is that if the government opens today, it’ll be within a week that we can start looking forward to removing those restrictions” on flights.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on legislation to reopen the government as soon as Nov. 12. The bill would then need to be signed by President Donald Trump who has already endorsed the deal, passed by the Senate Nov. 10.
The Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines last week to cut domestic flight capacity across 40 major airports — starting with 4% and growing to 10% by Nov. 14.
Duffy has said that it’ll take some time before the cuts are reversed because he wants to ensure air traffic controllers who haven’t been showing up to work are back at their facilities before doing so. He also wants to ensure safety data the government has been analyzing moves in a positive direction.
The Transportation Department and the FAA have said they relied on data, including reports from pilots of controller responsiveness, to make the decision to reduce flights. Duffy told reporters Nov. 12 he will share more data “at some point” on the risk assessment with airlines and Congress.
Bloomberg previously reported that on a call last week prior to the FAA’s order being released some airline executivespressed the governmentfor more information on the data behind the decision.
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