Flight Restrictions Lifted at NYC Airports as Staffing Crisis Eases
Starting Monday, flights at New York City's major airports will resume to their normal schedules after nearly a week of reduced domestic air traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted its emergency order, which required airlines to cut domestic flights by 10% across 40 major US airports.
The decision comes after thousands of air traffic controllers worked without pay due to the longest government shutdown in US history, causing a staffing crisis that triggered the restrictions. However, over the weekend, staffing concerns began to ease significantly, allowing the FAA to reassess and lift the emergency order.
"We're able to return to normal operations today," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. "The decline in staffing concerns is steady across the NAS [National Air Traffic System], and we're confident that our efforts to hire new controllers and upgrade our air traffic control system will be successful."
In addition to lifting flight restrictions, the FAA has also ended limits on general aviation at 12 airports, parachute operations, and commercial space launches.
While some airlines may still face scrutiny from the FAA for not complying with the emergency order, officials say that the focus is now on hiring new air traffic controllers and implementing a new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system to ensure safe and efficient flight operations.
Starting Monday, flights at New York City's major airports will resume to their normal schedules after nearly a week of reduced domestic air traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted its emergency order, which required airlines to cut domestic flights by 10% across 40 major US airports.
The decision comes after thousands of air traffic controllers worked without pay due to the longest government shutdown in US history, causing a staffing crisis that triggered the restrictions. However, over the weekend, staffing concerns began to ease significantly, allowing the FAA to reassess and lift the emergency order.
"We're able to return to normal operations today," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. "The decline in staffing concerns is steady across the NAS [National Air Traffic System], and we're confident that our efforts to hire new controllers and upgrade our air traffic control system will be successful."
In addition to lifting flight restrictions, the FAA has also ended limits on general aviation at 12 airports, parachute operations, and commercial space launches.
While some airlines may still face scrutiny from the FAA for not complying with the emergency order, officials say that the focus is now on hiring new air traffic controllers and implementing a new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system to ensure safe and efficient flight operations.