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Federal Aviation Administration says airlines can resume normal schedules from Monday.
Published On 17 Nov 2025
Flights in the United States are set to return to normal after the country’s aviation authority announced an end to restrictions introduced during the government shutdown.
Airlines will be able to return to their normal schedules from 6am Eastern Time (11:00 GMT) on Monday after the lifting of an emergency order reducing the number of flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement on Sunday.
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The FAA ordered reductions in flights at 40 major airports during the shutdown to ensure safety amid reports of air traffic controllers exhibiting fatigue and refusing to turn up for work.
The restrictions resulted in the cancellations of thousands of flights and delays to countless more.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill to resume government funding and end the shutdown, bringing to an end a six-week standoff between Republicans and Democrats.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the lifting of the order reflected a “steady decline in staffing concerns.”
Staffing triggers, which refer to instances where the number of available air traffic controllers falls below safe levels, dropped from 81 on November 8 to six on Friday, eight on Saturday and just one on Sunday, according to the aviation authority.
Under the restrictions, airlines were ordered to reduce flights by 4 percent by November 7 and 6 percent by November 10.
Officials on Friday scaled back the restrictions to 3 percent, pointing to improving staffing levels following the end of the government shutdown.
In its statement on Sunday, the FAA said it was also “reviewing and assessing enforcement options” amid reports of airlines not complying with the emergency order in recent days.
Just 149 flights were cancelled on Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, well below the 3 percent cut mandated by the FAA.