On Sunday (US time), the Federal Aviation Administration said all restrictions on American commercial flights would be lifted, with regular flight schedules resuming Monday at 6 am EST.
During what became the longest government shutdown in US history, the FAA had imposed hit some of the busiest airports in the country, including those in New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, with severe restrictions. Ultimately, thousands of flights were impacted across the US as the shutdown prompted concerns linked to staffing shortages.
This all comes days after the 43-day shutdown concluded on November 12 in the US.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the ease in conditions started showing at US airports to some extent on Sunday itself. Just 0.25% of flights at the 40-listed airports were cancelled on November 16, bringing the number down from the normal cancellations in the wake of the shutdown.
With flight cuts starting at 4%, the authorities increased them to 6%, until Friday retraction to 3% due to the improving air traffic controller staffing situation. The FAA had originally planned to hit a 10% target.
While this Sunday offered some respite to flyers, cancellations were at their peak last weekend. At the time, nearly 3,000 flights, accounting for about 10% of the ones scheduled, were cancelled.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announces resumption of US flight operations
In collaboration with the FAA, US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy took to his X profile to offer the good news to American travellers. “The @FAANews has determined that normal flight operations can resume after multiple days of positive staffing with air traffic controllers in our towers,” he wrote. “Now we can refocus our efforts on hiring and building the state-of-the-art air traffic control system the American people deserve.”
Duffy had previously even cast doubt on travel during the upcoming holiday season with Thanksgiving in sight. However, US airline executives refused to swear by that negativity. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian predicted things would revert to the status quo “a lot faster than people think” during a ‘CBS Mornings’ appearance.
🚨The @FAANews has determined that normal flight operations can resume after multiple days of positive staffing with air traffic controllers in our towers.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 17, 2025
Now we can refocus our efforts on hiring and building the state-of-the-art air traffic control system the American people… https://t.co/28wQpOfKHD