FAA Freezes Flight Reductions At 6% Level

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford have announced a new emergency order freezing flight reductions at the current six percent level following a recommendation from the FAA's safety team.

The 6 percent hold will remain in place as the FAA continues to assess whether the system can gradually return to normal operations.

There has been a rapid decline in controller callouts, with only eleven staffing triggers on Tuesday and four staffing triggers Wednesday from a high of 81 on November 8. Such strong staffing levels suggest that further ramp up in-flight reductions are not necessary to keep air travel safe. As the federal government reopens and controllers receive their backpay, the FAA will continue to monitor staffing levels and review key trend lines, the US Department of Transportation said in a press release.

'The FAA safety team is encouraged to see our air traffic control staffing surge, and they feel comfortable with pausing the reduction schedule to give us time to review the airspace,' said Transportation Secretary Duffy. 'The data is going to guide what we do because the safety of the American people comes first. If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we'll put forward a path to resume normal operations.'

The FAA was set to increase reduction in the nation's flight operations to 8 percent by November 13, and by 10 percent by November 14. However, the order issued by FAA Administrator last week did not require a reduction in international flights.

Since the beginning of the shutdown, air traffic controllers have been working without pay, and staffing shortage at air traffic facilities across the country have been increasing. This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers, and disruption of thousands of flight services nationwide.

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