Airlines across the country warned Wednesday that flight delays and cancellations will persist for weeks as the Federal Aviation Administration works through a 42-day backlog of critical tasks left undone during the government shutdown. The immediate impact is widespread: passengers face continued schedule changes, airlines must shuffle planes and crews, and air traffic control facilities are juggling staffing gaps that existed even before the shutdown began in October. Industry groups say recovery will be uneven and slow, with no quick return to normal as the FAA restarts certification work and FAA safety inspections that were paused.
What’s in the FAA backlog
The FAA’s backlog includes essential aircraft inspections, routine safety checks, and certification approvals that allow airlines to bring new planes and routes online. Aviation experts say this is not simply about flipping a switch after the government reopens; every missed inspection or delayed sign-off can ripple through an airline’s network for days.
“Aviation experts say despite a congressional vote to end the government shutdown nearing, it could take weeks before flight schedules return to normal. That’s because Federal Aviation Administration workers must sift through a 42-day backlog of work left undone, including aircraft inspections and safety checks.”
The agency also needs to lift traffic-reduction orders that helped manage reduced staffing during the shutdown.
Industry and government perspectives
- Airlines for America (trade group) warned: “airlines’ reduced flight schedules cannot immediately bounce back to full capacity right after the government reopens. It will take time, and there will be residual effects for days.”
This highlights how the shutdown disrupted aircraft positioning, pilot rotations, and maintenance timelines. -
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers will receive back pay soon: “They’re going to get money in their bank accounts very quickly,” while conceding that “it could take weeks for flight schedules to return to normal.”
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Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), said: “This shutdown isn’t a light switch, it’s not just on and it’s not just off,” capturing the slow, step-by-step recovery needed to restore full service.
Local impacts and passenger experiences
At airports, the effects show up in cancellations and rolling delays. For example:
- At Salt Lake City International Airport, 13 departing and 12 arriving flights were canceled on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, affecting Delta, SkyWest, and Southwest among others.
These local disruptions cascade when planes and crews miss assigned rotations. Since the shutdown began in October, more than 5 million people have felt the impact of delays and cancellations, which helps explain the tense mood among travelers and the cautious tone from airlines.
Passengers describe a mix of confusion and fatigue. Anna Johnson, who was trying to fly out of Utah, said she now checks her phone constantly, worried about last-minute changes. “I’ve had anxiety around flying,” she said. For many travelers this means missed events, extra hotel nights, or scrambling to rebook connections on crowded flights.
Travel guidance sites, including VisaVerge.com, advise keeping backup plans in mind as schedules remain fluid.
Operational constraints slowing recovery
The backlog affects operations beyond visible cancellations:
- FAA engineers and inspectors must work through deferred approvals for aircraft, equipment, and routes.
- Airlines cannot simply add extra flights because many require FAA certification or operational sign-offs now in the queue.
- Air traffic facilities face staffing shortages that predated the shutdown. The FAA was already short roughly 2,000–3,500 controllers, and the hiring pipeline must restart.
- Some controllers retired or took second jobs during the shutdown; officials warn fatigue and low morale may linger even after back pay arrives.
These constraints mean airlines and the FAA are hesitant to promise a tight timeline. Officials repeatedly emphasized there is no set timeline for when flight cuts will ease.
Why quick fixes aren’t possible
Airlines’ planning departments must rethread pilots, flight attendants, and aircraft into workable rotations—often across multiple hubs—while waiting for FAA teams to clear pending safety tasks. Additional limiting factors include:
- Crew legal rest rules
- Maintenance and certification requirements
- Airport congestion
Taken together, these factors make a rapid rebound unlikely even if passenger demand remains strong.
What travelers should expect and do
Experts say the recovery will be uneven—some airports will improve faster than others depending on local staffing and maintenance windows. Practical tips for travelers:
- Check your airline app and email frequently for updates.
- Build extra time into connections and travel schedules.
- Be prepared to accept rebookings that keep you moving rather than waiting for an ideal nonstop.
- Keep backup plans and contingencies in mind (hotels, alternate routes).
Flights early in the day tend to be more reliable, but expect continued disruptions while the network regains balance.
FAA priorities and public tracking
The agency has begun communicating priorities:
- First focus: safety-critical tasks
- Next: certifications tied to airline schedules
The public can track official updates through the Federal Aviation Administration: https://www.faa.gov, which posts notices about operations and policy steps.
Industry groups emphasize patience and that safety remains the first priority. The system is designed to absorb shocks and keep planes flying safely, but it will take time to re-balance after a prolonged stop. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, interruptions of this length can have lingering effects on international itineraries as well, even after the government shutdown ends.
How airlines are responding
Airlines are taking concrete operational steps:
- Reducing frequency on some routes
- Combining or shifting some short-haul trips
- Repositioning jets to hubs with available maintenance slots and staff
These moves can take days and may frustrate customers in the short term, but operations teams say they are necessary to restore broader reliability.
“There’s no timeline on when flight cuts will ease up after the government shutdown ends. Flights remain disrupted as the shutdown nears an end.”
Bottom line
The nation’s air system is recovering, but slowly. Safety tasks come first, and the math of staffing, certification, and crew placement is unforgiving after a 42-day backlog. For travelers, expect:
- Continued flight delays
- Need for extra time on connections
- Ongoing flexibility with bookings
For frontline workers—controllers, mechanics, pilots, and flight attendants—it means long shifts focused on getting the system back in sync without cutting corners. The coming weeks will test patience, but the priority remains clear: finish the backlog, stabilize staffing, and return to predictable schedules as the FAA clears the last of the inspection and certification pile.
This Article in a Nutshell
A 42-day FAA backlog of inspections, safety checks and certifications from the government shutdown is causing persistent flight delays and cancellations. Airlines and industry groups warn recovery will take weeks because staffing gaps, deferred approvals, and crew-rotation disruptions ripple across networks. The FAA is prioritizing safety-critical tasks before schedule-linked certifications. Travelers should expect uneven improvements, monitor airline communications, allow extra connection time, and prepare backup plans while the agency clears the backlog and stabilizes staffing.
