Full List of 40 FAA High-Traffic Airports Targeted by Shutdown

(UNITED STATES) The Federal Aviation Administration said it will cut 10% of flights at 40 high-traffic U.S. airports as soon as Friday, November 7, 2025, if the government shutdown continues, a move that could ripple through the nation’s air travel system heading into the weekend. The full list of affected airports has not yet been released, leaving airlines and passengers to brace for disruptions with limited details on where the reductions will hit first.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency will publish the list on Thursday, November 6, 2025, after he and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy meet airlines to finalize flight schedule changes.

“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators tell us we can take action today,” Bedford said, underscoring that the decision is aimed at avoiding mistakes as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay.

FAA 40 High-Traffic Airports Targeted by Shutdown

This action will severely impact air traffic at these facility hubs until a shutdown resolution is reached.

The FAA said the reductions will target “high-traffic” airports where controller fatigue and staffing pressures are worst, reflecting growing concern inside the agency that prolonged strain on personnel will compromise safety. The agency described the cuts as unprecedented, pointing to internal reports of mounting fatigue as controllers face their second paycheck of $0 during the government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of knock-on effects across the network, saying,

“This is going to lead to more cancellations. We’re going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way.”

The planned 10% trim to flight operations would apply at 40 airports around the country, according to the FAA, though the agency stopped short of naming which ones until it completes consultations with carriers. Airlines were told to prepare for schedule adjustments beginning Friday, with the agency focusing on “specific markets” where staffing shortages are most acute. Bedford said the FAA’s goal is to reduce workload where risks are rising, rather than wait for incidents that could have been prevented by slowing operations.

The announcement adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to a fragile aviation system already stretched by the government shutdown. While the FAA emphasized that the move is designed to preserve safety, it acknowledged the cut will mean fewer seats, more delays, and more cancellations at some of the country’s busiest hubs, especially at peak times. The agency’s emphasis on high-traffic airports suggests major travel corridors will feel the impact most, but without an official list, travelers and airlines are left guessing which cities will see the heaviest reductions.

Industry groups warned that even a 10% reduction at high-traffic airports can produce outsized consequences because those facilities serve as key nodes for connections and cargo. Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, urged elected leaders to end the shutdown quickly, saying,

“All shutdowns are irresponsible, and the government must reopen to prevent difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience.”

The association’s members, which include airlines, hotels, convention centers, and destination marketing groups, have pressed for predictability as peak holiday travel planning accelerates.

The FAA said it will publish the full list of the 40 affected airports by the end of the day on Thursday, with simultaneous release to major news outlets and carriers. Agency officials said the reductions were developed in consultation with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and will be refined with airline input to limit bottlenecks where possible. The plan aims to smooth schedules in places where controller staffing is most constrained, reducing the pace of arrivals and departures to a level the system can safely handle given current personnel levels.

The agency’s public message has centered on safety, with Bedford citing early indicators of risk tied to fatigue and staffing pressure. Internal reports flagged long stretches on position, compressed rest periods, and an uptick in overtime as controllers cover gaps during the shutdown. Controllers, deemed essential, have continued working without pay. FAA leadership said the proactive reduction is intended to relieve pressure before errors occur, not after.

Airlines, which have weathered summers of congestion and weather-related snarls, now face a fresh round of schedule rewrites tied directly to the government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the department is coordinating with carriers to execute the cuts evenly and predictably, adding,

“We’re going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way.”

Carriers have told the Department of Transportation they need clarity fast to rebook passengers, reposition crews, and realign aircraft to minimize delays that can cascade throughout the day, especially at morning departure banks and evening arrival peaks at high-traffic airports.

Travelers were advised to expect disruptions beginning Friday and to monitor their airline apps and email alerts closely. The FAA said reductions will be concentrated in “specific markets,” and that staffing conditions will drive where cuts are deepest. Without public naming of the airports yet, ticketed passengers are left with few certainties beyond the Friday timeline and the likelihood that some of the busiest routes will see fewer options. The agency encouraged the public to watch its official channels for updates, with the list set to appear on FAA.gov once the final meetings with airlines conclude.

The repercussions of a 10% reduction can vary widely by airport. A hub with tight departure and arrival banks might see concentrated cancellations that break up the peaks, while an airport with round-the-clock operations may spread reductions through the day. The FAA’s emphasis on controller fatigue suggests that the cuts will align with staffing rosters to ease pressure during the most demanding shifts, reducing arrival rates in congested airspace and spacing departures to lessen workload in control towers and terminal radar facilities. For passengers, this translates into fewer available seats on popular flights, longer connection times, and a greater risk of missed connections when delays stack up.

Bedford’s comment about acting on early indicators reflects an approach that airlines and safety experts have urged in past periods of stress: slow the system before it breaks. By trimming schedules at high-traffic airports, the FAA can lower the volume of aircraft controllers must manage at once, reducing complexity and the number of potential conflict points. That margin, officials argue, is critical when controller ranks are thin and fatigue is rising. The unresolved question is how long the cuts would last if the government shutdown continues, and whether the agency would need to go beyond 10% if staffing strains worsen.

The timing is tight. With the list due on Thursday, November 6, airlines have only hours to make changes before Friday’s first departures. That means late-night schedule updates, rushed rebooking for affected passengers, and potential crew reassignments that can ripple into Saturday and Sunday operations. Transportation planners worry that a Friday start will collide with weekend leisure travel demand, raising the odds of crowded customer service lines and jammed call centers if cancellations mount. Duffy’s warning that

“This is going to lead to more cancellations” signals that even with coordination, some pain is unavoidable.

For airport operators, the lack of a public list complicates preparations. Stations that turn out to be on the FAA’s list will need to coordinate with airlines on gate assignments, tug and ramp staffing, and passenger flow management as last-minute cancellations change the shape of the day. Airports not on the list may still feel knock-on effects if their inbound flights originate from cutback locations, especially in networks that rely heavily on connections through high-traffic airports. Ground handlers and concessionaires could also see shifts in staffing needs as peak periods flatten or move.

The FAA’s move sits within the broader instability caused by the government shutdown, which has slowed a range of federal activities beyond aviation. In the airspace system, however, the consequences are immediate because safety-critical operations continue even as paychecks stop. Controller staffing has long been a sensitive variable, and fatigue management requires predictable schedules, adequate rest, and enough people to rotate through the most demanding positions. Prolonged stress introduces risks that the agency is now trying to blunt by lowering the tempo.

The next 24 hours will determine how smoothly the reduction is implemented. If the list arrives as promised on Thursday, November 6, airlines can start pushing schedule changes into reservation systems, alerting customers, and adjusting day-of operations. If the release slips closer to Friday, the scramble will be tighter, and the risk of uneven implementation grows. Freeman’s assessment that shutdowns

“disrupt travel and damage confidence”

captures the stakes: passengers value reliability, and sudden reductions at high-traffic airports test that trust.

For now, the FAA’s message is that safety comes first, even if that means fewer flights. Bedford emphasized that the agency would not wait for a serious incident before acting. Duffy, for his part, framed the cuts as controlled and coordinated, not chaotic. And the travel industry’s central ask is to end the government shutdown so the system can restore normal operations without further erosion of capacity. Until that happens, the public will be navigating a thinner schedule, and the FAA will be juggling the balance between keeping planes moving and keeping the system safe under sustained strain.

Passengers with imminent travel should watch for airline updates after the FAA and Transportation Department finish their meetings, and check the agency’s official channels for the list of affected airports. The FAA said it will publish the 40-airport list by the end of the day Thursday. If the government shutdown is still in place, the 10% reductions will begin on Friday, November 7, 2025, and the practical effects—delays, cancellations, and longer lines—will likely be felt first at the very high-traffic airports the agency is trying to protect from overwork in the control room.