US Flights Resume Normal Schedules After Government Shutdown

US flights are set to return to normal schedules today after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted restrictions imposed during the recent government shutdown.

The FAA announced Sunday evening that normal operations would resume across the country from 6:00 am Washington time (1100 GMT) on Monday.

The shutdown, which lasted a record 43 days, led to thousands of flight cancellations due to understaffing.

At one point, 10% of domestic flights were cut at 40 of the busiest US airports because of a shortage of control tower staff working without pay.

The aviation industry faced additional strain when President Donald Trump threatened to dock pay for air traffic controllers who called in sick during the shutdown, citing concerns of unpatriotic behavior.

With the restrictions lifted, airlines are expected to gradually return to their normal schedules, though some disruptions may still occur as they recover from the shutdown's impact.

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