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FAA to lift emergency flight limits Monday as NYC-area airports return to normal
By
Phil Corso
Published Nov 16, 2025
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Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Phil Corso
Published Nov 16, 2025
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Flight schedules at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports will return to normal for the first time in more than a week, starting Monday at 6 a.m., according to federal officials.
Authorities said air traffic controller staffing has improved enough to end an emergency order that required airlines to cut domestic flights by 10% at 40 major U.S. airports, including airports that serve New York City.
The Federal Aviation Administration started enacting flight reductions earlier this month amid a staffing crisis triggered by the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Thousands of air traffic controllers had been working without pay.
But over the weekend, staffing “trigger events” dropped dramatically, allowing the FAA to lift the restrictions, federal officials said.
“Today’s decision to rescind the order reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns across the NAS and allows us to return to normal operations,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement on Sunday.
The FAA said it was also ending limits on general aviation at 12 airports, parachute operations and commercial space launches.
"Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state of the art air traffic control system the American people deserve," Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement.
Officials said some airlines may still face FAA scrutiny for not complying with the emergency order while it was in place.
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new york state
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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