Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Nov 17: After more than a week of government-mandated flight cuts, air travel across the United States is set to return to normal from Monday. The US Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced late Sunday that all reductions across 40 major airports would be lifted from 6 a.m. onwards.

The restrictions, introduced on November 7 at a 4% cut, were expected to increase to 10% by November 14. However, the reduction rate was frozen at 6% last Wednesday, just before President Donald Trump signed legislation ending the longest federal shutdown in US history.

Officials brought down domestic flight cancellations from 6% to 3% on Friday, easing some of the strain on passengers and airlines.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the cuts were necessary to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers, who continued to work without pay during the shutdown. They explained that the FAA had assessed safety data, including pilot reports on controller responsiveness, before enforcing the capacity reductions.

However, the FAA has not yet revealed detailed findings, despite lawmakers and airline leaders requesting more transparency.

With normal operations set to resume, airlines are expected to clear backlogs and restore full schedules across the country.