Federal officials announced Wednesday that the U.S. will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 "high-volume" markets starting on Friday, citing staffing shortages during the government shutdown .

"We have decided that a 10% reduction in scheduled capacity would be appropriate to continue to take the pressure off of our controllers," said Bryan Bedford, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bedford and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outlined the changes during a press conference on Wednesday, framing the measures as a way to keep air travel safe. Bedford said they will announce which markets will be affected on Thursday, adding that the restrictions will affect commercial airspace and space launches.

Bedord said the nation's aviation system remains safe, b

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