KABUL: The prolonged government shutdown under Donald Trump has reportedly set a new record, marking the longest duration in U.S. history and leading to increasing challenges across various sectors.
CBS News reported on Saturday night, on the impact of this shutdown on the country’s air transportation services.
According to information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the report, the shutdown has resulted in the cancellation of 1,000 flights over the past two days due to the furlough of FAA employees.
This number of cancellations occurred on Saturday after the FAA issued a directive to reduce air traffic.
Transportation Secretary Shan Duffy and FAA Administrator Brian Bedford stated that due to the ongoing shutdown, they were compelled to reduce flights by up to 10 percent. They noted that the current situation is affecting 40 airports, with flight cancellations reaching five percent as of yesterday.
The shutdown has persisted for about 40 days since members of the U.S. Congress failed to agree on a short-term budget for the government.
The ongoing disagreement between Republican and Democratic members of Congress has been cited as the cause for the budget impasse and the government furlough.