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Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg)

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The Federal Aviation Administration said Nov. 16 it is lifting all��restrictions on commercial flights��that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country's longest��government shutdown.

Airlines could resume their regular flight schedules beginning Nov. 17 at 6 a.m. EST, the agency said.

The announcement was made in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.

Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an��unprecedented order��to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place since Nov. 7, affecting thousands of flights across the country.

Flight traffic is back to normal as controllers return to towers✈️ is right. Air traffic controllers who didn't miss a single day during the shutdown deserve a bonus!

We are working on it RIGHT NOW!

📺 Watch the special “The Flight Path Forward” this Wednesday at 8pm… — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy)

Impacted airports included large hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6% before the FAA on Nov. 14 rolled the restrictions back to 3%, citing continued improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the record��43-day shutdown ended��on Nov. 12.

The number of flights canceled this weekend was at its lowest point since the order took effect and was well below the 3% cuts FAA was requiring for Nov. 15-16. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that fewer than 1% of all flights were canceled this weekend. The flight tracking website FlightAware said 149 flights were cut Nov. 16 and 315 were canceled on Nov. 15.

The FAA statement said an agency safety team recommended the order be rescinded after “detailed reviews of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities.”

The statement said the FAA “is aware of reports of non-compliance by carriers over the course of the emergency order. The agency is reviewing and assessing enforcement options.” It did not elaborate.

Cancellations hit their highest point Nov. 9, when airlines cut more than 2,900 flights because of the FAA order, ongoing controller shortages and severe weather in parts of the country. Conditions began to improve throughout last week as more controllers returned to work amid news that Congress was close to a deal to end the shutdown. That progress also prompted the FAA to pause plans for further rate increases.

The agency had initially aimed for a 10% reduction in flights. Duffy had said worrisome safety data showed the move was necessary to ease pressure on the aviation system and help manage worsening staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities as the shutdown entered its second month and flight disruptions began to pile up.

Air traffic controllers were among the federal employees who had to continue working without pay throughout the shutdown. They��missed two paychecks��during the impasse.

Duffy hasn’t shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more��runway incursions��and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.

Airline leaders have expressed optimism that operations would rebound in time for the Thanksgiving travel period after the FAA lifted its order.

Yamat reported from Las Vegas and Funk reported from Omaha, Neb.