US to cut flights at 40 airports if shutdown doesn't end

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned there will be a 10% reduction in air travel capacity at 40 major US airports from Friday, if the government shutdown continues, BBC News reported.

The decision comes because air traffic controllers have been reporting issues with fatigue, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said at a briefing with Duffy.

"It is unusual, just as the shutdown is unusual, just as the fact that our controllers haven't been paid for a month is unusual," said FAA chief Bryan Bedford.

Some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, are working without pay - or are on forced leave - because Congress has not agreed a federal funding budget.

Unions say many employees are becoming ill with stress or are being forced into taking second jobs as financial pressure bite in what is now the longest shutdown in US history.

The flight reductions will be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday, then rising to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, before hitting the full 10% next week, Reuters reported after the announcement, citing four unnamed sources.

The names of the affected airports - all high-traffic locations - will be released on Thursday, the officials said.

The cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day.

"We are seeing pressures build in a way that we don't feel - if we allow it to go unchecked - will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world," Bedford said.

Duffy said air travel is still safe, and the decision to cancel the flights was being made to maintain safety and efficiency.

If the shutdown continues and adds more pressure to the system, additional restrictive measures may be required, Bedford said.