According to a press release, normal operations can resume across the country, including at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field in Dallas.
Those were among 40 airports in the United States on the high-impact list for reductions, though international flights were not disrupted.
The details
The FAA safety team recommended the termination of the emergency reduction order following a detailed review of safety trends and the steady decline of staffing-trigger events in air traffic control facilities, according to a news release.
The order to reduce operations at larger airports by 10% started Nov. 7, according to a previous news release. There had been a commercial limit on flights between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., local time, at the various airports.
According to the Nov. 16 news release, the FAA stated it was aware of non-compliance by carriers over the course of the emergency order and is reviewing and assessing enforcement options.
What they’re saying
“Our goal throughout this has remained unchanged: take care of our customers and limit disruption to their travel plans as much as possible,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a news release. “We’re ready for business and looking forward to serving customers with a full schedule, especially in advance of the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays.”
What else?
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a press release that with the shutdown over, the effort for air traffic controller hirings and building a state-of-the-art air traffic control system will be a focus.
The FAA news release stated that operations across the country still had staffing triggers of six on Nov. 14 and eight on Nov. 15. That is a collection of key data elements related to a staffing constraint at the airports, according to the FAA website.
During the peak of the shutdown, there were 81 staffing triggers Nov. 8, according to the FAA's website.
One more thing
During a speaking engagement Nov. 15, Jim Moses, American Airlines' senior vice president, DFW Hub Operations, addressed the air traffic controller shortage.
“We are partnering with the government [and] with Secretary Duffy and his team to ensure that we are doing all we can do to support hiring efforts and to support modernizing the ATC system,” Moses said. “We all know there's work that needs to be done.”
