US Air Travel and Cargo Hit Turbulence as Shutdown Deepens, FAA Orders Flight Cuts and UPS-FedEx Fleets Grounded
Summary
US air travel and air cargo have been severely disrupted as a federal government shutdown stretches into its third day. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a 10% reduction in domestic flights at peak hours across about 40 major airports because of staffing shortages among unpaid air traffic controllers. More than 10,000 flights were delayed and over 2,700 cancelled, with major carriers and hubs hit hard.
The situation is compounded by the temporary grounding of a portion of UPS and FedEx MD-11 freighters, taken out of service ‘out of an abundance of caution’, removing several percentage points of cargo capacity. The combined effect is straining domestic belly-cargo capacity and express parcel networks just ahead of the holiday season.
Key Points
- FAA ordered a 10% cut in domestic operations between 06:00 and 22:00 local time across ~40 major airports due to controller absences.
- More than 10,000 flights delayed and over 2,700 cancelled — the worst disruption since the shutdown began.
- UPS grounded about 9% of its fleet and FedEx about 4% of its MD-11 aircraft, trimming dedicated freighter capacity.
- Grounding follows a recent cargo plane crash at UPS Worldport in Louisville that killed 14 people, intensifying safety reviews and network stress.
- Domestic passenger flights carry significant belly cargo; reduced passenger operations therefore tighten short-term air freight space.
- Carriers report operational adjustments; most overnight express flows fall outside the restricted window, limiting immediate but not downstream impact.
- Analysts warn of escalating delays and capacity shortfalls if the shutdown continues into Thanksgiving and the December peak shipping period.
Context and Relevance
This story matters to anyone managing supply chains, e-commerce fulfilment or express logistics. The US aviation network links millions of passenger and cargo movements daily; controller shortages and fleet groundings quickly ripple into domestic transit times, warehousing pressure and delivery promises. It underscores the fragility of relying on mixed passenger-belly and dedicated-freighter capacity during peaks, and highlights the need for contingency planning, rerouting and capacity diversification.
Author style
Punchy: This is a high-impact logistics disruption with real commercial consequences. If you run operations that depend on fast US domestic air links or overnight express, the detail here is essential — retailer cut-offs, carrier re-routes and hub congestion will affect planning for the next 4–8 weeks.
Why should I read this?
Short version: things are messy and could hit your deliveries over the holiday period. If you handle fulfilment, inventory or cross-country shipping, you need to know where capacity is being lost and which hubs are affected. We skimmed the chaos and pulled the parts that help you decide whether to reroute, buy buffer stock or warn customers.