FAA To Lift Flight Reduction Emergency Order On November 17

(RTTNews) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford have confirmed that the agency's emergency order reducing flights will officially end on Monday, November 17 at 6 a.m. With this decision, normal operations will resume across the National Airspace System (NAS).

The move follows a recommendation from the FAA's safety team, which conducted detailed reviews of recent safety trends. Their analysis showed a steady decline in staffing-trigger events at air traffic control facilities, giving confidence that the system is ready to return to full capacity.

Staffing levels have been steadily improving since the conclusion of the government shutdown. Data from the past week highlights this recovery: six staffing triggers were recorded on Friday, November 14, eight on Saturday, November 15, and only one on Sunday, November 16. This marks a sharp improvement compared to the peak of 81 staffing triggers on November 8, bringing conditions back in line with pre-shutdown levels.

With the order lifted, several restrictions will also be removed. These include limits on general aviation operations at 12 airports, restrictions on certain visual flight rule approaches at facilities affected by staffing issues, curbs on commercial space launches and reentries during nighttime hours, and limits on parachute operations and aerial photo missions near impacted facilities.

The FAA has acknowledged reports of carriers failing to comply with the emergency order during its enforcement period. The agency is currently reviewing these cases and considering appropriate enforcement actions.