The FAA announced it is lifting all flight restrictions at 40 major U.S. airports that were imposed during the 2025 government shutdown.

The restrictions, originally up to 6% of flights, were implemented to address safety concerns from staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, who worked without pay during the shutdown.

Flight cancellations peaked at over 2,900 on November 9 but dropped to less than 1% by the weekend as more controllers returned to work.

The FAA rescinded the order after reviewing safety trends and seeing a steady decline in staffing-trigger events, NPR has reported.

Airlines are expected to resume normal operations, easing disruptions ahead of the Thanksgiving travel period.