Over 1,300 US flights cancelled as shutdown-driven flight cuts enter second day

Air travel chaos deepened across the United States on Saturday as airlines cancelled 1,330 flights on the second day of government-mandated flight cuts, while thousands more faced severe delays amid the ongoing federal shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered airlines to reduce daily flights by 4 per cent at 40 major airports, citing safety concerns due to air traffic controller shortages. Staffing issues have worsened as controllers, unpaid for weeks, increasingly fail to report for duty.

Earlier on Friday, more than 1,200 flights were cancelled nationwide as part of efforts to ease pressure on the system. Major hubs including Atlanta, Denver, Newark, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles were among the worst affected.

By Saturday, delays were reported in at least 12 major US cities, with some passengers waiting for over five hours. The FAA warned that flight cuts could rise to 6 per cent on Tuesday and 10 per cent by November 14 if the shutdown continues.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cautioned that reductions could climb even higher if absenteeism grows, saying the agency would “make decisions based on what we see in the airspace.”

The disruption comes as the shutdown stretches into its 39th day, with about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners working without pay. Lawmakers remain locked in partisan gridlock, with Republicans and Democrats blaming each other for the funding impasse that has now grounded a key part of the nation’s aviation system.

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With inputs from Reuters