Flight Reductions Planned Due To Shutdown: Are RI Airports Impacted?

Travelers through Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport could see fewer flights as the government shutdown drags into a second month.

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to announce on Thursday 40 “high-volume markets” where flights will be reduced by 10%. The agency said the move is intended to keep the airspace safe during the shutdown.

ABC News published a list of airports they are reporting will be subjected to flight restrictions. That list can be found here. Official confirmation on the targeted airports is expected later Thursday.

Agency administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined in a news conference on Wednesday to name the airports that could see flight reductions that could start as soon as Friday, saying they wanted to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to implement the reductions safely.

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Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.

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Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference.

“We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn't automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.

Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.

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The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.

Duffy warned earlier this week that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.

Some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.

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Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don't always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.

But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

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During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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