Washington: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that flight restrictions will be lifted, allowing normal operations to resume across the United States starting at 6:00 am Washington time (1100 GMT) on Monday. This decision comes as a relief following a significant disruption caused by a prolonged shutdown.

According to Lao News Agency, the shutdown, which lasted a record 43 days, led to the cancellation of thousands of flights due to understaffing. Ten percent of domestic flights were cut at 40 of the busiest airports in the country. This was a result of a shortage of control tower staff, who were compelled to work without pay amid a budget stalemate.

The situation worsened after President Donald Trump threatened to reduce the pay of air traffic controllers who called in sick during the shutdown, labeling their actions as unpatriotic. Even after the shutdown ended on Wednesday, flights remained reduced by three percent over the weekend, with some airlines not complying with the restrictions.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy expressed optimism, stating, “Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state of the art air traffic control system.” The lifting of restrictions comes just days before an anticipated increase in passengers traveling for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday on November 27.