(UNITED STATES) Commercial flights across the United States began taking off on regular schedules again at 6 a.m. EST on Monday, November 18, 2025, after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted all FAA-imposed flight restrictions that had choked air travel during a record 43-day federal government shutdown. The move marked the formal end of the deepest disruption to U.S. aviation in modern history, restoring full operations at 40 major airports where traffic had been deliberately reduced for safety reasons while thousands of air traffic controllers worked without pay and staffing levels fell to the breaking point.
How the decision to restore service unfolded
Officials said the decision to remove caps on flights came less than 24 hours after Congress finally approved funding to reopen the government on November 17, 2025, ending what has now been confirmed as the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
During the standoff, the FAA reduced allowable traffic by up to 6% at peak disruption at some of the country’s busiest hubs. The agency said that step was necessary to keep the system safe as exhausted controllers juggled crowded skies, complex weather, and increasingly thin staffing rosters.
Scope of cancellations and the worst day
The shutdown, which began in early October, triggered a chain reaction across the aviation network.
According to preliminary tallies:
– More than 8,000 flights were canceled nationwide while caps were in place.
– Airlines trimmed schedules and sometimes scrubbed entire days of service from overburdened airports.
The single worst day came on November 9, 2025, when a mix of severe weather, staff shortages, and the FAA-imposed flight restrictions forced airlines to cancel more than 2,900 flights in a matter of hours. Crews and aircraft were left scattered around the country, and many travelers spent the night on terminal floors or in hotels far from home.
Airports and passengers most affected
The biggest disruptions were concentrated at giant hubs:
– Atlanta (ATL)
– Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
– New York JFK
– Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW)
– Denver (DEN)
At these hubs, passengers faced long lines, frayed tempers, and little clarity about when normal service might resume. For some travelers, missed flights meant lost workdays or delayed reunions; for others, it meant abandoning carefully planned international trips that depended on tight connections through U.S. hubs.
Safety concerns that drove restrictions
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said safety reports during the shutdown included several incidents of planes coming too close to one another in flight and runway incursions, when aircraft or vehicles stray onto runways without clearance.
Those red flags, he said, persuaded officials to keep tight limits on traffic even as pressure grew from airports, airlines, and lawmakers to ease the caps. Agency leaders repeatedly stressed that the system could not keep operating at normal volume while so many air traffic controllers were stretched to the edge.
“A slower system was preferable to risking even a single serious incident,” agency leaders argued as justification for the traffic reductions.
Rapid rebuilding after funding was restored
Once the funding bill cleared and agencies received authority to recall staff, the FAA moved quickly to rebuild schedules.
Officials reported:
– Conditions in control centers began to stabilize within hours of the shutdown’s end on November 17.
– Overtime eased and more controllers returned to full shifts.
– Improving safety metrics led the agency to authorize airlines to restore full operations from 6 a.m. EST on November 18.
The FAA warned, however, that true recovery would unfold over days rather than minutes.
What passengers should expect in the coming days
Airlines, industry groups, and union leaders cautioned that the picture for passengers will remain uneven for some time. Key reasons include:
– Aircraft need to be repositioned.
– Crews must be rescheduled.
– Thousands of travelers who were stranded or rebooked during the federal government shutdown are still waiting to complete their journeys.
Carriers have signaled that schedule changes and last‑minute disruptions could continue through late November, especially around the busy Thanksgiving period, as they work through backlogs of both passengers and cargo built up over six weeks.
On-the-ground consequences at airports
At major hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, Dallas–Fort Worth, and Denver, the rolling cancellations and delays changed daily life.
Consequences included:
– Airport hotels filled up.
– Rental car lots ran short.
– Terminal concourses turned into makeshift waiting rooms.
For workers in hourly jobs, an extra day stranded could mean lost income. For people traveling to see relatives or return to long‑term homes, each new cancellation added to stress and uncertainty.
Industry analysis and official guidance
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the scope of the aviation disruption highlights how closely the U.S. travel system is tied to federal staffing and funding decisions.
The FAA has urged passengers to:
– Keep checking with airlines.
– Review safety and travel updates on its official website at faa.gov, which will continue posting system‑wide notices as operations settle back into routine patterns.
Industry analysts say that despite the end of the FAA-imposed flight restrictions, the ripple effects of the 43-day stoppage will remain visible for at least a week as airlines work to return equipment and crews to normal rotations. They note that even small schedule changes can upset itineraries involving multiple connections, especially for international passengers whose journeys depend on single daily flights.
Workforce and union perspectives
Union representatives for air traffic controllers said the shutdown exposed how dependent the system is on a fully staffed workforce that feels rested and supported, rather than pushed to work long hours without pay.
Points raised by unions and FAA officials:
– Many controllers continued to report to duty even as paychecks stopped, creating financial and emotional strain.
– FAA officials acknowledged that fatigue was a key concern when deciding to scale back flights at the 40 affected airports by up to 6% at peak disruption.
– With regular funding now restored, both the agency and worker groups are pressing lawmakers to avoid a repeat of the standoff that brought U.S. air travel close to a standstill.
Key takeaways
- Full flight operations were authorized at 6 a.m. EST on November 18, 2025, after Congress restored funding on November 17, 2025.
- The 43-day federal government shutdown caused more than 8,000 cancellations overall, with a single-day high of 2,900+ on November 9, 2025.
- Recovery will be gradual: passengers should expect lingering disruptions, especially through the Thanksgiving period, while safety remains the top priority.
If you are traveling soon, continue to monitor airline notices and the FAA site at faa.gov for system updates and safety advisories.
This Article in a Nutshell
After Congress funded the government on November 17, 2025, the FAA lifted flight restrictions and authorized full operations from 6 a.m. EST on November 18. The 43-day shutdown had forced up to 6% traffic reductions at 40 major airports, causing over 8,000 cancellations and a single-day peak of more than 2,900 on November 9. Safety concerns, staff fatigue, and repositioning of crews and aircraft mean recovery will be gradual, with lingering disruptions expected through the Thanksgiving travel period.
