The Federal Aviation Administration froze flight reductions that were initially scheduled to increase Thursday as the number of canceled flights in the United States has steadily declined this week.
The FAA issued an emergency order Wednesday night to freeze flight reductions at their current level of 6%.
Under an earlier order, airlines were required to reduce operations at 40 “high-impact airports” by 8% by Thursday and 10% by Friday. The new order means those reductions will no longer increase.
Travelers walk through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on November 11, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Department of Transportation said the decision was made after seeing a “rapid decrease in calls from drivers.”
“These very strong staffing levels suggest that further reductions in flights are not necessary to keep the traveling public safe,” the DOT said in a news release. “As the federal government reopens and controllers receive their back pay, the FAA will continue to monitor staffing levels and review key trend lines.”
The 6% flight reductions will remain in place “as the FAA continues to assess the situation and determine when airlines and systems can safely and gradually return to normal operations,” the DOT said.
The order comes after more than 900 flights were canceled on Wednesday in the US at approximately 8 p.m. ET, with departures from the busy hubs of Chicago, Denver and Atlanta topping the list for the most cancellations, according to conscious flight.
More than 2,200 flights had been delayed as of around 8 p.m. ET.
Wednesday’s flight cancellations appeared to continue a multi-day streak of headaches at U.S. airports, which were operating under pressure amid the federal government shutdown.
However, cancellations and delays have been slowly declining throughout the week as Congress appeared ready to end the shutdown.
More than 1,200 flights in the United States were canceled on Tuesday, while more than 2,400 were canceled on Monday. The winter weather that caused headaches in the Midwest and East on Monday and Tuesday was also not a factor for airports on Wednesday.
Travelers walk through the terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, more than a month into the current U.S. government shutdown, in Arlington, Virginia, on Nov. 11, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
Many federal employees, including Transportation Security Administration staff, were working without pay as partisan gridlock dragged on in Washington.
And although things have improved, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the cancellations could cause major problems this weekend if the shutdown does not end.
“If the government doesn’t open, it will slow down radically,” Duffy said during a news conference Tuesday. “If this doesn’t open, you may have airlines saying, ‘We’re going to ground our planes.’ That’s how serious this is.”
The House of Representatives was due to vote on the bill Wednesday night. If approved, it will head to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed.
Airlines have not received any guidance on whether flight reductions will be adjusted once the shutdown ends, according to Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America, a trade association representing U.S. airlines.
Once the government shutdown ends, it will be about a week before air travel operations return to normal, Sununu said. If the shutdown ends this week, travel is expected to go smoothly over the Thanksgiving holiday, he said.
“There is still plenty of time to make sure everything during Thanksgiving week goes as originally planned,” Sununu said during a news conference Wednesday.
ABC News’ Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.
