SEE THE LIST: FAA Orders 10% Flight Cut at 40 Major Airports as Record Shutdown Pushes U.S. Air Travel to the Brink

The nation’s airways are on a collision course with chaos.

As the federal government shutdown enters its 37th day — the longest in U.S. history — the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an extraordinary order to cut air traffic by 10% at 40 of the country’s busiest airports, citing a worsening crisis of overworked, unpaid air traffic controllers.

The reductions, announced Wednesday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, will begin phasing in Friday and escalate daily through next week. The move is expected to cancel or reschedule thousands of flights per day, snarling travel just as Americans prepare for the Thanksgiving rush.

“We’re in uncharted territory,” Duffy warned at a press conference. “This isn’t about politics — it’s about safety. We cannot wait for our margins to erode further.”

Controllers, deemed “essential” and forced to work without pay since early October, are reporting record exhaustion and attrition. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says more than 400 facilities nationwide are now understaffed, quadruple last year’s figure.

A 2023 FAA study had already found the system short more than 3,000 certified controllers before the shutdown began.

“The data doesn’t lie,” Bedford said. “Fatigue is setting in, and if we don’t act now, we risk compromising the safety of the entire airspace.”

The plan begins with a 4% capacity cut Friday, rising to 10% by next week, hitting domestic and regional flights hardest between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. International and hub-to-hub routes will be largely spared, but cargo and private aviation will also face restrictions — a blow to logistics networks already stretched thin.

The affected airports — which together handle over 80% of all U.S. domestic air traffic — include virtually every major hub: Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, Phoenix, and all three New York City airports (JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia).

Early data shows delays averaging 45 to 60 minutes even before the cuts take effect. With the reduction in place, experts warn, some metro regions could see near-gridlock skies by mid-November.

Airlines rushed to adapt Wednesday night, holding emergency meetings with FAA officials.

Below is the full list of airports facing flight reductions: