Orlando airport, one of America's most popular travel hubs, came close to cancelling all landings after the government's shutdown caused a last-minute scramble for air traffic controllers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had announced on Thursday evening there would be "no certified controllers for a period of time" which would "prevent landings".

It later reversed the order when enough staff were found, but flights in and out of Orlando - home of Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks - faced delays, some up to 90 minutes.

There were also delays at Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington DC airports.

FlightAware, a flight tracking website, said nearly 6,000 flights had been delayed and 1,100 cancelled nationwide on Thursday, impacting 20% of flights at United Airlines, Amer

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