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UPDATE 5:30 PM FRIDAY - The NBAA issued an additional notice Friday afternoon, with President and CEO Ed Bolen recommending that business aircraft operators work to avoid the busiest commercial airports and to plan ahead to meet their travel needs. "Flexibility is a hallmark of business aviation," he said. "That's why we are urging business aviation operators to avoid the busiest commercial service airports. We know that departure and arrival times can be adjusted, alternate airports can be considered, flight crews can utilize airline travel and other backup plans can be put in place to ensure missions are accomplished in a variety of ways that reduce tension on the system."Original story continues below.The Transportation Department announced Thursday night that it is cutting 10% of flights at 40 major airports, through the FAA, due to the still-unresolved shutdown of the federal government.
Since Oct. 1, paychecks have stopped flowing to air traffic controllers. The ripple effect in recent days has significant delays and closures at airports. In a joint statement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said there were 2,740 delays at US airports. ?"My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety," he stated. "This isn't about politics - it's about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay.Duffy said it is still safe to fly and that the reduction would keep it that way during the Thanksgiving-weekend travel spike."We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely," Bedford said. "The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe." ? Among the business aviation community, the Modern Skies Coalition—a consortium of various aviation advocacy groups— called on Congress to reopen the government by reaching a deal immediatelyThis prolonged shutdown has strained the aviation system and its dedicated workforce to unacceptable levels of stress and disruption," the statement read. "The American flying public deserves nothing less than a fully operational aviation system. It's time for Congress to act decisively."On Thursday night, the NBAA hosted a newshour video stream with the association's vice president of air traffic services andamp; infrastructure and senior vice president of government affairs, assessing the situation and addressing the impact on the industry. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen issued a statement supporting the government agencies' decision."We want to thank the FAA for striking a thoughtful balance to proactively address safety through this order, which reflects the diverse needs of all stakeholders within America's aviation system," he said. "As we navigate this unique moment, our focus remains on ensuring the safety of flight and equitable treatment for business aviation operations. We also commend the FAA for recognizing the nation's air traffic controllers and understanding their vital role in maintaining the smooth and safe operation of our aviation system."The association also issued an online need-to-know resource for its members. The restrictions will likely impact members' flight operations, particularly in and out of towered airports, but it's too early to know for sure."The restrictions will impact everyone in the NAS, including general aviation, commercial flights, space launches and VFR markets," the page states. "Specific impacts to general aviation operations will be shared once more details are available."The resource can be found here.The full FAA emergency order can be found here.At first, 4% of flights will be affected, reported AP News, before increasing to 10%. Approximately 3,500 to 4,000 flights daily are expected to be affected by the smaller capacity, according to CNBC. The goal is to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown and controller shortage.
"Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible," Bedford told ABC News. "Reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations. This is not based on light airline travel locations. This is about where the pressure is and how to really deviate the pressure." The preliminary list of airports that will have a decreased capacity includes:
Anchorage International (ANC)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Boston Logan International (BOS)Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
Dallas Love (DAL)
Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)
Denver International (DEN)
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
Newark Liberty International (EWR)
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
Honolulu International (HNL)
Houston Hobby (HOU)
Washington Dulles International (IAD)
George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
Indianapolis International (IND)
New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
New York LaGuardia (LGA)
Orlando International (MCO)
Chicago Midway (MDW)
Memphis International (MEM)
Miami International (MIA)
Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP)
Oakland International (OAK)
Ontario International (ONT)
Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)
Portland International (PDX)
Philadelphia International (PHL)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
San Diego International (SAN)
Louisville International (SDF)
Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
San Francisco International (SFO)
Salt Lake City International (SLC)
Teterboro (TEB)
Tampa International (TPA)
This list is not permanent and is subject to change.RELATED STORIES:Air traffic controller shortage halts flights at Los Angeles airportBill proposed to provide essential aviation workers with pay during shutdownFAA academy could close due to government shutdown and lack of funding