Starting Friday, airlines will cancel flights at busy airports across the country, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration directed airlines to cut traffic by 10 percent to keep travelers safe during the government shutdown.

Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since Oct. 1 and that has exacerbated staffing problems. The shutdown is now the longest in United States history.

“If reductions are enacted, travelers should be prepared for flight disruptions at MSP and other airports across the country,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airport Commission, which oversees MSP, said in a statement to MPR News. “Travelers should check with their airline for the latest flight information.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the flig

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