Washington: As the US federal government shutdown entered its 40th day, more than 2,000 flights were cancelled and over 8,000 delayed nationwide, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

Since the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mandated flight reduction policy took effect on Friday, the number of canceled flights surged from 202 on Thursday to 1,025 on Friday, and further to 1,566 on Saturday, Xinha news agency reported.

The number of air traffic controllers taking leave has risen since the shutdown began on October 1, forcing many others to work overtime.

The US Department of Transportation and the FAA recently announced a 10 per cent capacity reduction at 40 major airports across the country starting Friday, aiming to ease staffing pressures and reduce airspace safe

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