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As the historic federal government closure nears day 38, US flight paths is about to get less congested. Contrastingly for US air travel hubs.

Precautionary Steps Enacted

The current administration's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced flight numbers are being lowered to uphold air traffic control security during the federal government funding lapse, currently the lengthiest in history and with little indication of a agreement between Republicans and Democratic representatives to end the federal budget standoff.

Airline regulators pinpointed “congested corridors” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a move that would force airlines to scrub numerous flights and trigger a cascade of scheduling complications and delays at key American travel hubs.

Official Statement

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, stated on social media Thursday that the action was “not politically driven” but rather “about assessing the data and reducing accumulating danger in the system as air traffic professionals continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” the official added.

Travel Disruptions

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights may be scrapped. The cuts might account for approximately 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats combined, per an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The affected airports spanning numerous states include the most trafficked across the US – such as Atlanta, North Carolina's city, Colorado's hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando, California gateway, Florida hotspot and Bay Area airport. Among key urban centers – like New York, Texas city and Chicago – several air terminals will be impacted.

The trio of airports operating in the Washington DC area – Dulles Airport, BWI Airport and Reagan National – will be affected, likely creating schedule changes for government officials as well as additional passengers.

Other Developments

• Below is the roster of domestic airports reducing air travel on Friday because of federal government shutdown.
• A former Department of Justice employee who hurled a sandwich at a government officer during Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in DC was acquitted of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rejection of the federal intervention.
• Some Democratic legislators interpreted Tuesday’s major voting successes as evidence they should hold the line and extract as much as possible from Republicans before agreeing to end the longest government shutdown in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “courageous, pioneering” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “finest presiding officer in American history”, following her declaration that following two decades in Congress she intends to step down.
• Kevin Roberts, the leader of the right-leaning policy organization behind the conservative initiative, issued an apology for supporting the host's interview with Hitler fan Nick Fuentes, but is rejecting appeals to step down.