Dhaka: Airlines canceled more than 2,700 U.S. flights and delayed over 10,000 on Sunday (Nov 9), marking the worst day for aviation since the federal shutdown began on Oct. 1.

The disruption came as air traffic control staffing shortages deepened, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to order airlines to cut 4pc of daily flights at 40 major airports from Friday, rising to 6pc on Tuesday and 10pc by Nov. 10.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned air travel could fall to a“trickle” ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest U.S. travel periods.

“It's only going to get worse,” Duffy said on CNN's State of the Union, noting the FAA is now 1,000 to 2,000 controllers short of full staffing, with retirements surging to 15–20 a day from about four before the shutdown.

As of 9:45 p.m. ET Sunday, flight-tracking site FlightAware reported 2,762 cancellations and more than 10,000 delays.

Major airlines have begun planning further cuts, with United Airlines scrapping 190 flights on Monday and 269 on Tuesday.

The 40-day shutdown has left 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners working without pay.

Airlines for America, representing major carriers, said staffing issues have disrupted travel for more than 4 million passengers since Oct. 1 and could cost the economy $285 million to $580 million a day by Friday.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the slowdown could hurt fourth-quarter growth, while airline officials warned that mounting delays and fatigue-related safety concerns among controllers are making operations increasingly difficult.

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