U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy & FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford Outline Series of Proactive Actions to Maintain Safety in the National Air Space

Includes 10% reduction in flights at 40 high traffic airports across the country WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford outlined the proactive actions the FAA will take to maintain the highest standards of safety in the national airspace system. This includes achieving a temporary 10 percent reduction in flights at 40 high traffic airports across the country. Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay, and staffing triggers at air traffic facilities across the country have been increasing. This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers. This past weekend, there were 2,740 delays at various airports.   “My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. 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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.” “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,” said Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”   Summary of Actions: A 4 percent reduction in operations will take effect Friday, November 7, ramping up to 6 percent by November 11, 8 percent by November 13, and 10 percent by November 14. The FAA will also: Prohibit some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers Commercial space launches and reentries will only be permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time. Prohibit parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger.  These actions were directly informed by the FAA’s review of aviation safety data, including voluntary, confidential safety reports that pilots and air traffic controllers file. The data indicates increased stress on the system, which increases risk. Additional Information: Airlines will be required to issue full refunds. They will not be required to cover secondary costs. This is the normal procedure when a delay or cancellation is not at the fault of the carrier. The order does not require a reduction in international flights. Carriers may use their own discretion to decide which flights are canceled to reach the order’s goal. Decisions to increase or decrease these flight reductions will be informed by safety data. The 40 affected high impact airports include: ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport BOS – Boston Logan International Airport BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport DAL – Dallas Love Field DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport DEN – Denver International Airport DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport HNL – Honolulu International Airport HOU – William P. Hobby Airport IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport IND – Indianapolis International Airport JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport LAX – Los Angeles International Airport LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport MCO – Orlando International Airport MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport MEM – Memphis International Airport MIA – Miami International Airport MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport OAK – Oakland International Airport ONT – Ontario International Airport ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport PDX – Portland International Airport PHL – Philadelphia International Airport PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport SAN – San Diego International Airport SDF – Louisville International Airport SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport SFO – San Francisco International Airport SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport TEB – Teterboro Airport TPA – Tampa International Airport