The Federal Aviation Administration is opening investigations into airlines that may have failed to comply with a mandatory flight-reduction directive issued earlier this month during the federal government shutdown. FAA administrator Bryan Bedford announced at Newark Airport on Nov. 24 that letters of investigation will be sent to carriers believed to have violated the order, emphasizing that the probe will continue until accountability is ensured. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, present at the same event, stressed that airlines must comply when the FAA issues directives.
The order required airlines to temporarily scale back operations at 39 commercial airports in response to severe air traffic controller fatigue caused by the shutdown. Many controllers were working despite not receiving pay, while call-outs surged, threatening operational safety. The directive began with a 4% reduction on Nov. 7, increased to 6% on Nov. 11, and then decreased to 3% after the shutdown ended on Nov. 12 before being lifted entirely on Nov. 17.
However, industry data suggests certain carriers may not have adhered to the reductions during the final days of the mandate. Cirium figures show cancellation rates on Nov. 15 and 16 were unusually low—well under 1%, including just 0.25% on Nov. 16—raising concerns that airlines continued operating at normal capacity instead of reducing schedules as required. The FAA has not yet named the carriers under investigation.
