By Chicago Times Magazine –

November 16, 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration will end its flight reduction emergency order at 6 a.m. on Monday, November 17, restoring normal operations across the National Airspace System, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced today. The FAA safety team recommended rescinding the order after detailed reviews showed improving safety trends and a steady decline in staffing-trigger events at air traffic control facilities.

Duffy thanked the FAA safety team for maintaining security during the government shutdown and credited recent leadership for enabling controllers to return to duty so normal operations could resume, adding that attention will now shift to increasing controller hiring and building a modern air traffic control system for the country. Bedford said the decision reflects the falling staffing concerns across the NAS and praised FAA safety and operations teams for their focus on traveler safety.

Staffing levels have rebounded since the shutdown ended, the FAA said, with six staffing triggers reported on Friday, November 14; eight on Saturday, November 15; and just one on Sunday, November 16, compared with a record high of 81 staffing triggers on November 8. Officials said current staffing data now align with conditions that existed before the shutdown.