The Federal Aviation Administration announced that United States flights will return to normal schedules on Monday following the lifting of reductions that had been imposed during the recent government shutdown.

The FAA confirmed on Sunday evening that restrictions would be lifted and “normal operations can resume” across the country starting at 6:00 am Washington time (1100 GMT) on Monday.

Thousands of flights across the US had been cancelled as a direct result of understaffing during the government shutdown, which ultimately stretched into a record duration of 43 days.

A ten percent reduction in domestic flights was enforced at 40 of the busiest US airports due to a severe shortage of control tower staff. These essential workers had been compelled to work without pay as the budget stalemate persisted.

The aviation industry faced additional strain when President Donald Trump threatened to dock the pay of air traffic controllers who called in sick during the shutdown, labeling their actions as unpatriotic.

Even after the government shutdown officially ended on Wednesday, flight reductions of three percent were still observed over the weekend, though the FAA noted that some airlines had not complied with the imposed restrictions.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy released a statement saying, “Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state of the art air traffic control system.”

This easing of restrictions is timed just days before a significant surge in air passengers is expected, preceding the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday on November 27.