Duffy says air travel may take ‘days if not a week’ to return to normal, even after shutdown ends

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that aerial question could instrumentality "days if not a week" to get backmost to mean erstwhile the authorities shutdown ends.

"If the authorities opens time — which it won’t, it doesn’t look similar — it’s going to instrumentality america days to measure the controllers coming backmost into their facilities oregon their towers," Duffy told "America Reports."

"And past erstwhile we commencement to determination those numbers backmost down to zero connected our required 10%, the occupation is the airlines past person to enactment those planes backmost connected for booking again," helium said.

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Duffy said airlines volition not instrumentality to mean for days, perchance a week, aft the shutdown. Confirmed punctuation from availability with reporters. (Getty Images)

Duffy said determination volition beryllium a lag of respective days to a week earlier airlines and airports tin instrumentality to mean operations.

"It’s going to instrumentality immoderate clip for the airlines to respond. So erstwhile we spot much controllers successful the towers, past the airlines person to respond to that," Duffy said. "It tin beryllium days, if not a week, earlier we get backmost to full-force flights erstwhile the shutdown ends."

However, if the national shutdown continues, the cuts volition multiply owed to an summation successful the aerial postulation controller shortage.

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Travelers caput done a information checkpoint successful Denver International Airport Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, successful Denver.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is already starting to trim flights to 10%, Duffy besides said Friday up to 20% of U.S. flights could beryllium slashed wrong the coming weeks, The Hill reported.

"With that, you mightiness spot 10 percent would person been a bully number, due to the fact that we mightiness spell to 15 percent oregon 20 percent," Duffy said.

While helium told the outlet the fig was "theoretical," helium noted it remains a possibility.

Travelers caput down an escalator aft clearing done a information checkpoint successful Denver International Airport, Friday, successful Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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"Could it spell there? That’s possible. There’s nary program for that," Duffy said. "I measure the information and however galore controllers I have, and I’m conscionable saying we’re going to marque decisions based connected what we spot successful the airspace to marque definite we support it safe. I anticipation it goes the different direction."

The announcement comes arsenic the authorities shutdown rolls into its 38th day.