FAA reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 ‘high-volume’ markets during government shutdown

Local airport officials may not know until Thursday whether the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan to reduce air traffic by 10 percent starting Friday morning will affect Harry Reid International Airport.

The FAA said Wednesday that it would reduce traffic across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown.

The FAA directive comes just ahead of the Nov. 20-22 Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, three weeks before Thanksgiving and a month out from the Dec. 4-13 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It also could affect attendees of the Specialty Equipment Market Association automotive aftermarket trade show, which wraps up Friday and annually draws more than 100,000 people to the city and has become one of the city’s largest conventions.

November has been shaping up to be key to Southern Nevada’s tourism rebound from months of visitation downturns and that experts have pointed to as a part of the fall recovery leading into a robust 2026.

Reid Airport officials have not received notification from the FAA on whether it is one of markets that would be affected, nor the criteria by which it designates “high-volume” markets.

Some have speculated that there could be more airspace affected on the East Coast because there is less traffic in the Southwest.

Reid officials said airport operations were running normally Wednesday, but they are prepared for change.

“Operations at Harry Reid International Airport continue as normal,” airport officials said in a statement issued late Wednesday. “While LAS remains fully operational, we are aware of the FAA’s announcement regarding a planned 10 percent reduction in air traffic beginning Friday, Nov. 7, and are awaiting additional information from the agency.”

They noted that delays elsewhere could also affect Las Vegas.

“As always, flight delays or cancellations elsewhere in the country may still impact travel nationwide. We encourage travelers to check directly with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.

“LAS maintains regular communication with our airport partners, including the FAA and TSA, and will continue to do so throughout this period. Should there be any changes to airport operations, we will provide updates as they become available,” the statement said.

If Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the affected airports, it could mean a reduction of about 170 daily flights because the airport manages 1,682 operations a day on average. However, the airport’s helicopter operations, roughly 200 a day, are not part of the FAA tower’s responsibility.

“We are actively monitoring the FAA’s announcement to understand how the planned flight reductions may be implemented and whether they could potentially affect service to and from Las Vegas,” a representative of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said in an emailed statement late Wednesday.

“Travel disruptions like this underscore why the LVCVA joined others in urging Congress to reopen the government.”

Representatives of the Nevada Resort Association had no comment on the announcement, saying it did not want to speculate on what could happen.

Earlier in the day, Airlines for America President and CEO Chris Sununu pled for Congress to produce a clean resolution to break the shutdown stalemate. The association said airline companies were alerted to the reduction announcement about an hour before it was publicly reported.

‘We can’t ignore it’

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. With some calling out of work, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at a number of U.S. airports.

Citing growing staffing pressures, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would not wait for a crisis to act.

“We can’t ignore it,” he said.

Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they would meet with airline executives later Wednesday to determine how to safely implement the reduction in flights. Until then, both declined to name the affected markets. Bedford said a list would be released sometime Thursday.

“If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures,” Bedford said, “we’ll come back and take additional measures.”

The Associated Press on Wednesday sent requests for comment on the FAA’s decision to major U.S. airlines, including Delta, United and American Airlines.

Southwest Airlines said it was evaluating potential impacts to its schedule and would reach out as soon as possible to customers whose travel plans may be impacted.

“We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity,” the carrier said.

Staffing shortages

The FAA sometimes slows down or stops flights from taking off toward an airport due to weather conditions or when there aren’t enough controllers and other personnel or facilities are unable to pick up the slack. Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages of the shutdown, which became the longest on record early Wednesday.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 different air traffic control facilities announced there was some potential for limited staffing, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans sent through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown

During weekend periods from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional centers that oversee multiple airports and facilities that monitor traffic at higher altitudes announced the potential for staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

Most controllers have continued to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage payments and other expenses unless controllers call out.

Major airlines, aviation unions and the wider travel industry have urged Congress to end the shutdown.

Wednesday’s announcement came on the heels of Duffy warning a day earlier that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paychecks next Tuesday.

Duffy said the FAA wanted to take a proactive approach instead of reacting after a disaster. He pointed to the deadly mid-air collision in January between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“We learned from that. And so now we look at data, and before it would become an issue, we try to assess the pressure and try to make moves before there could be adverse consequences,” Duffy said. “And that’s what’s happening here today.”

Associated Press journalists Matthew Daly, Josh Funk, Rio Yamat and Christopher L. Keller contributed to this story.