Nov. 10 (UPI) — The Federal Aviation Administration on has imposed restrictions on private flights at 12 major U.S. airports, a business aviation trade group said.
The new rule — called a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM — bans all non-scheduled operations at the 12 airports, which “will effectively prohibit business aviation operations,” the National Business Aviation Association said in a statement Sunday. The restrictions went into effect at midnight Sunday.
The organization said the move “disproportionately” impacts private flights, “an industry that creates more than a million jobs, generates $340 billion in economic impact and supports humanitarian flights every day.”
The announcement comes amid shortages in air traffic controller staffing in response to the federal government shutdown. At 41 days Monday, it’s the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Commercial airlines began cutting flights Friday after the FAA ordered a 5% reduction in traffic at 40 major airports in the United States. The government said the restrictions will increase to 10% by Friday if a resolution isn’t passed to fund and reopen the government by then.
It may not get to that point, however, after the Senate on Sunday voted to advance a proposal that, if passed by Congress, would fund the government through January.
NBAA President and CEO Ed Belen said the announcement Sunday “underscores the need to reopen the government to serve all Americans.”
“NBAA stands with the rest of the aviation community in calling upon Congress to end the shutdown immediately, and for the NOTAMs to be repealed when the government opens,” he added.
The NBAA said the new restrictions apply to private flights at:
— Chicago O’Hare International Airport
— Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
— Denver International Airport
— General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport in Boston
— George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston
— Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
— John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City
— Los Angeles International Airport
— Newark Liberty International Airport
— Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
— Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
— Seattle-Tacoma International Airport