skip to contentAdvertisementAfter the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated flight cuts at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports, major airlines were dealing with the mandate for the third day as nearly 7,000 flight delays were reported on Sunday alone.By: Express Web Desk November 10, 2025 04:49 AM IST First published on: Nov 10, 2025 at 04:49 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookAmerican Eagle and American Airlines planes sit at gates at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo)The airlines in the United States canceled more than 2,200 flights on Sunday as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air travel would fall to a “trickle” if the federal government shutdown keeps on continuing into the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday season, Reuters reported.After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated flight cuts at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports, major airlines were dealing with the mandate for the third day as nearly 7,000 flight delays were reported on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions. Apart from Sunday’s 2,200 flights, over 1,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and more than 1,500 on Saturday.The government shutdown, which has become one of the largest in America’s history at 40 days, has led to a major shortage of air traffic controllers, who like other federal employees, haven’t been paid for weeks and they have reportedly stopped showing up for work, AP reported. The FAA mandated flight reductions, which began at 4% on November 7, would increase to 10% by November 11.Before the shutdown, an average of 4 controllers retired a day.That number has now jumped to 15 to 20 a day.It’s pretty simple — when Democrats vote 14 times against controllers getting paid, it’s hard to convince them to stay in the profession.End the shutdown NOW. pic.twitter.com/7MpQhPnFIO— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 9, 2025Among the highest cancellations reported on Sunday, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta had the most cancellations with more than 570, followed by Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, with at least 265. However, the cancellation and delays in Georgia could be due to weather conditions as the National Weather Service office in Atlanta warned of widespread freezing conditions through Tuesday.Earlier, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that US air traffic could decline significantly if the shutdown persists. Duffy suggested that additional flight cuts up to 20% would be required since the air traffic controllers received no pay for a second consecutive pay cycle.In an interview with Fox News, Duffy said, “More controllers aren’t coming to work day by day, the further they go without a paycheck. As I look two weeks out, as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families.”(with inputs from agencies)AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...