Amid Continued FAA Staffing Shortages, Airlines Seek Minimum Flight Requirements Extension

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:50 PM ET, Tue August 8, 2023

U.S. airlines are calling upon the Federal Aviation Administration to continue cuts to minimum flight requirements in New York City and Washington.

When making the request, airlines said the lack of adequate air traffic control staffing continues to be a problem, according to a report from Reuters.

Back in March, the FAA agree to let Delta Airlines and United Airlines temporarily give back as much as 10 percent of their slots and flights at airports in the New York area, as well as at Washington National Airport. That plan is set to run through September 15.

In a newly penned letter, the trade group Airlines for America, which represents the major carriers, requested that the cuts be allowed to continue through October 28, according to Reuters.

Airlines For America says in the letter that air traffic staffing levels in the Northeast have not yet “meaningfully improved.”

FAA staffing shortages have been an ongoing challenges impacting the aviation industry. In June, the U.S. Travel Association called out the government ahead of the busy Fourth of July holiday travel period, because of the FAA staffing issues.

USTA said at the time that there was an urgent need for Congress to address Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staffing and funding shortages through the agency’s reauthorization bill.

"U.S. airlines have hired more than 55,000 new workers since 2022 to help stave off delays, yet we need an act of Congress and FAA policy changes just to hire 1,800 air traffic controllers per year and ensure they are staffed in the right places," U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes said in a statement.

"This is unacceptable, and Congress and the FAA must move faster.”

Back in April, the FAA also spoke out, warning the industry of its staffing shortages.

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