Flight reductions at 40 major U.S. airports will remain at 6% while officials assess whether the air traffic system can safely return to normal operations, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said November 12. Secretary Duffy did not provide a timeline for full resumption of flight volumes. 

The reductions were set to rise to 10% by the end of the week, but more air traffic controllers are coming to work because of an end to the U.S. government shutdown, reports Associated Press.

The Department of Transportation said the flight reduction decision was made on recommendations from the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety team, after a “rapid decline” in air traffic controllers refusing to come to work, after the shutdown left them without pay.

“If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operations,” Duffy said in a statement November 12.

“Our top priority at the FAA is, and always will be, safety,” said Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford. “The data shows that controller staffing is improving rapidly, which allows us to hold flight reductions at six percent while maintaining the highest levels of safety in our airspace. We’ll continue to monitor system performance hour by hour, and we won’t hesitate to make further adjustments if needed."