Phoenix Sky Harbor on list of airports where flights will be cut by 10%

PHOENIX – The list of airports that will be required to reduce flights by 10% includes Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, officials confirmed Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that air traffic in 40 “high-volume markets” will be cut due to staffing shortages caused by the government shutdown.

The airport list covers most of the nation’s busiest airports. In addition to Phoenix, it includes major hubs in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York and Los Angeles.

Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact as they scrambled to figure out where to cut service. They’ll start sending cancelation notices to impacted passengers on Thursday.

United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they will offer refunds, even for tickets that aren’t normally refundable.

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Air traffic controllers working without pay during government shutdown

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.

Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, an FAA official said Wednesday at a news conference.

“We can’t ignore it,” administrator Bryan Bedford said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.

Sky Harbor already impacted by staffing shortages

Sky Harbor was the 15th busiest airport in the U.S. by passengers boarded in 2024, according to Bureau of Transportation statistics.

Staffing shortages led to ground delays in Phoenix on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sky Harbor officials have been encouraging passengers to monitor their flight status before leaving for the airport and leave plenty of time to get through security.

The Phoenix airport website has pages that show delays/cancelations and updated security wait times.

The FAA website lists ground delay and ground stop advisories for airports across the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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