NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- More than 200 flights were cancelled on Sunday at Newark Liberty Airport as the FAA required airlines to cut 4% of flights on Friday.

That number is expected to rise to 10 percent by this Friday, but flights are increasingly being canceled as the holiday season approaches.

Airlines are scaling back flights at dozens of major U.S. airports to ease the pressure on air traffic controllers, who have been working unpaid and under intense strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the decision is necessary to keep travelers safe. Many controllers have been working long hours and mandatory overtime, while lawmakers remain at a standstill over how to reopen the government.

At Newark Liberty Airport, 44 flights, or 7 per

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