The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it will reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 major U.S. airports starting Friday, citing fatigue among unpaid air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) said the system — not just the 40 airports on the list — will be impacted across the board.
The JAA told Action News Jax it has not yet been informed whether the facility will be among the 40 airports facing the steepest cancellations.
“We have not been informed whether JAX is on the list,” the JAA told the station. “Team JAX will be prepared whether we are on the list or not.”
The FAA is expected to release the full list of affected airports Thursday.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the reductions are aimed at maintaining safety and easing strain on the nation’s air traffic system.
“We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is building in the system… we need to work towards relieving some of that pressure,” Bedford said.
The FAA oversees about 44,360 flights each day, and a 10% reduction would impact 4,400 fewer flights a day.
Jacksonville International Airport handles an average of about 300 flights per day.
