The U.S. government shutdown has been going on for more than 40 days now, and private jet operations have been effectively grounded at 12 major airports, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has put strict limits on flights to keep airspace safe because it doesn’t have enough unpaid air traffic controllers.
Last week, the FAA had to cut flights by 10% at 40 airports across the country. Now, their new rules have stopped business jet flights at airports that are very important to the entertainment industry and general aviation. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) says that this industry supports more than a million jobs and has an economic impact of $340 billion across the country. The FAA lets some flights for emergencies, medical reasons, law enforcement, and the military go on, but most private business jet travel has stopped.
LAX, JFK, Newark Liberty (EWR), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL), Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston Logan, and Seattle Tacoma are some of the airports that are affected by these rules. These cutbacks have caused a lot of people to miss their flights and have delayed or canceled many trips, including those of many famous travelers.
Ed Bolen, president of the NBAA, talked about how the government funding impasse has had a disproportionate effect on general aviation. He stressed how important the sector is for supporting jobs and humanitarian flights. The FAA and airlines are getting ready for more problems with air travel in the U.S., especially at these major business aviation hubs, because talks about new laws are going nowhere.
The grounding of private jets for the first time ever shows how the federal government shutdown is affecting both commercial and private aviation across the country in many ways.
