The United States is considering a 10 per cent cut in flights at 40 major airports as the government shutdown touched a record 36th day on Wednesday. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the cuts could be reversed if Democrats agreed to reopen the government.

The move is aimed at taking pressure off air traffic controllers. Notably, the shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay since the shutdown began October 1, Reuters reported.

FAA's plan to cut flights

Reuters earlier cited industry sources as saying that in a call with major US carriers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said capacity reductions at the airports would start at 4 percent, rising to 5 percent Saturday and 6 percent S

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