U.S. Government Reopens, but ATC Delays Still Linger | Aviation International News

U.S. Govt Reopens, but ATC Delays Still Linger

NBAA hopes traffic will be back to normal before Thanksgiving travel

San Francisco International Airport air traffic control tower — © Matt Thurber/AIN

By Chad Trautvetter • Online Editor

November 13, 2025

Thanks to passage of a bill last night to reopen the U.S. government, NBAA expects that flight delays and restrictions at 40 high-impact U.S. airports, as well as the business aviation ban at 12 of them, will be eliminated before Thanksgiving travel. The FAA also today issued an amended order freezing airline traffic reductions to 6% at these airports, but left unchanged limitations on general aviation and nonscheduled commercial operations.

These delays and reductions were implemented in an attempt to cope with air traffic controller staffing issues exacerbated by the government shutdown, during which controllers were working without being paid. Sick callouts climbed in the controller ranks as the government shutdown dragged on, with workers missing two full paychecks before the deal to reopen the government was reached.

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