Massive amounts of flights were delayed and canceled in the U.S. on Saturday because of the government shutdown, with traffic controllers working without pay.
Close to 2 p.m., 3,624 flights had been delayed and 988 canceled, according to FlightAware.
The most affected airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where 67 departing and 65 arriving flights were canceled, the most in both categories for any U.S. airport as of Saturday afternoon.
Other highly affected airports included Newark Liberty International Airport, with 48 departures and 49 arrivals canceled; Chicago O’Hare International Airport, with 41 departures and 42 arrivals canceled; and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with 41 flights each of departures and arrivals grounded.
Saturday’s spate of cancellations followed Friday’s cuts, which saw 1,025 flights canceled and 7,000 delayed. The most affected airport that day was Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where 76 departures and 83 arrivals were grounded, according to FlightAware.
To relieve some of the pressure on air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was reducing flights at 40 highly trafficked airports.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.