(Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration told airlines on Thursday to cut 4% of flights at 40 high-traffic airports starting Friday, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The level then increases by two percentage points each on Tuesday and next Thursday, reaching 10% on November 14.

The cuts, expected to impact hundreds of thousands of travelers, seek to address safety concerns due to a shortage of air traffic controllers during a record-setting U.S. government shutdown.

AIRPORTS AFFECTED

CUTS BY THE NUMBERS

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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