Flight timings and cancellations are displayed on the departures board, a month into the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 9, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump demanded air traffic controllers return to work on Monday as government-directed flight cuts and air traffic staffing absences continue to wreak havoc with U.S. air travel.

Trump added that he will reward those who did not take any time off during the 41-day federal government shutdown, but it is not clear how many controllers could qualify. Trump said he would welcome the resignation of those who took time off.

"All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially 'docked,'" Trump wrote on social media. "REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY."

The shutdown has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks.

Last week, Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford said 20-40% of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day at the 30 largest U.S. airports since the shutdown began.

Staffing issues worsened over the weekend and Saturday was the worst single staffing day since the shutdown began, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday.

Airlines canceled more than 1,660 U.S. flights on Monday, numbers set to worsen this week after the FAA mandated flight cuts set to rise to 10% Friday.

FlightAware, a flight tracking website, said by 10:45 a.m. ET (1330 GMT), more than 1,666 flights had been canceled and 3,300 delayed Monday after 2,950 flights were canceled and nearly 10,800 delayed Sunday in the single worst day for flight disruptions since the government shutdown began on October 1.

A November winter storm in Chicago is also disrupting air travel.

The FAA late Sunday also said it was suspending general aviation traffic at 12 airports with air traffic control staffing issues including Chicago O'Hare and Reagan Washington National.

The U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill to end the government shutdown late on Sunday.

The FAA instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting last week at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. Reductions in flights are mandated to reach 6% on Tuesday and then hit 10% by November 14. One big question for airlines is when will the FAA lift the government-required flight cuts. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said he first wants to see air traffic control staffing and safety data improve.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Toby Chopra)