US to cut flights starting Friday if shutdown doesn't end, transportation secretary warns

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned there will be a 10% reduction in air travel capacity, at 40 locations in the US, starting Friday morning if the government shutdown does not end.

The decision was made because air traffic controllers have been reporting issues with fatigue, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said at a briefing with Duffy on Wednesday.

"It is unusual, just as the shutdown is unusual, just the fact that our controllers haven't been paid for a month is unusual," said FAA chief Bryan Bedford

During the shutdown, the longest in US history, controllers have had to keep working without pay, prompting some to call out sick or take side jobs.

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