Canadian airports brace for ripple effects of U.S. FAA flight cuts

Hundreds of flight cancellations spread across the U.S. as airlines began complying with the Federal Aviation Administration's unprecedented order to scale down routes nationwide.

Flight reductions announced by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration started on Friday as the government shutdown continues, with Canadian airports bracing for “knock-on impacts.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is cutting capacity for flights by 10 per cent at 40 major U.S. airports starting Friday, the department said in a statement.

“FAA’s announcement to reduce the capacity of the National Airspace System in response to staffing shortages because of the government shutdown will impact domestic travel in the US,” Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council, told Global News in a statement.

“Canada’s airports will continue to monitor developments for any potential knock-on impacts on Canadian inbound and outbound flights to and from the United States.”

Hundreds of flight cancellations spread across the U.S. on Friday as airlines began complying with the Federal Aviation Administration’s unprecedented order to scale down routes nationwide because of the government shutdown.

The list of affected airports has not been released publicly but The Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a copy of the list reportedly shared with airlines and obtained by the wire service, that airports impacted cover many of the busiest regions across the U.S. — including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Fla., Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.

In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports were set to be among those affected, the AP reported.

Some flights between Canada and the United States, operated by Porter, have also been disrupted, the Canadian airline told Global News in a statement.