JFK Airport. Photo: Nate Hovee / Shutterstock U.S. to cut air-traffic capacity at major airports starting this Friday. Due to the recent controller shortage crisis and raised fatigue safety alarms, the FAA has announced it will trim 10% of capacity at 40 key airports starting next Friday in a preemptive move to ease controller workload.
The sweeping step is, therefore, intended to alleviate chronic staffing shortages among air-traffic controllers and to mitigate growing safety risks associated with controller fatigue.
The measure, disclosed at a joint press briefing by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Brian Bedford, follows "concerning safety data," the officials said, including pilot reports of operational errors by controllers that point to an unusually high workload across the system. Bedford described the move as deliberate and preventive.
“We are reviewing the data carefully every day. This is a proactive measure, not a reactive one,” he said, adding: “As our analysis deepens, we are seeing fatigue among air-traffic controllers. We are not going to wait for the point of no return. We will act now.”
Secretary Duffy linked part of the staffing crisis to the prolonged U.S. government shutdown, saying many controllers went without full pay for a month and some have taken additional jobs to support their families. “That is untenable from a safety perspective,” he said. “We want controllers to come to work refreshed, not exhausted.”
Officials said the capacity cuts are specifically aimed at reducing risk in the busiest and most congested airspaces. Bedford emphasized that the FAA is adopting a data-driven approach to minimize exposure in the most vulnerable areas. The agency, however, did not name the 40 airports that will be affected when asked at the briefing.
The planned reductions will not be limited to commercial airline operations. FAA officials said the measures will include restrictions on space launches and on visual flight rules (VFR) traffic in areas where excessive congestion is observed, steps intended to reduce complexity for controllers and preserve overall safety margins.
The announcement comes as the FAA and the Department of Transportation seek to balance the country’s vast air-traffic demand with an apparent shortfall in experienced staffing. In recent weeks, aviation regulators have reported an increase in incident reports and operational anomalies, collectively prompting the agency to take action before a major accident could occur.
The FAA stated that it will continue to closely monitor staffing, fatigue indicators, and safety reports, and adjust measures as necessary to ensure the nation’s skies remain safe while minimizing disruptions to passengers and commerce.