WASHINGTON – US airlines cancelled 1,460 flights on the second day of government-mandated flight cuts across the country on Nov 8, and the industry braced for more cancellations as the federal shutdown continues.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instructed airlines to cut 4 per cent of daily flights starting on Nov 7 at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. The shutdown has led to shortages of air traffic controllers because they have not been paid for weeks.

Reductions in flights will rise to 6 per cent on Nov 11 before hitting 10 per cent by Nov 14.

Flights delayed in at least 12 major cities

The FAA on Nov 8 reported air traffic control staffing issues at 25 airports and other centers, delaying flights in at least 12 major US cities, including Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

The FAA imposed ground delay programs at several airports on Nov 8, with delays averaging 337 minutes for flights at Atlanta, one of the busiest US airports.

Some 5,450 flights were delayed on Nov 8 after 7,000 were delayed and 1,025 cancelled on Nov 7.

The cuts, which began at 6am local time (7pm Singapore time) on Nov 7, include about 700 flights from the four largest carriers: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

Those airlines cancelled about the same number of flights on Nov 8.

Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20 per cent to 40 per cent of controllers have not been showing up for work over the past several days.

During a US Senate debate on Nov 7, Senator Ted Cruz blamed the shutdown for air traffic control concerns. Cruz, a Texas Republican who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, said he has been told that since the shutdown started, pilots have filed more than 500 voluntary safety reports about mistakes made by air traffic controllers because of fatigue.

The Senate Majority Leader, Mr John Thune, said on Nov 8 that bipartisan talks to end the shutdown had taken a positive turn, but the workday ended with no deals announced. The Senate is to try again with a rare Sunday session.

During the record 39-day government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism.

Many air traffic controllers were notified on Nov 6 that they would receive no compensation for a second consecutive pay period next week. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it was possible he could require 20 per cent cuts in air traffic if more controllers stop showing up for work.

“I assess the data,” Mr Duffy said. “We’re going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace.”

The Trump administration has cited air traffic control problems as Republicans try to pressure Senate Democrats to back what they call a “clean” government funding bill with no strings attached.