Air travelers could face more frustration as busy U.S. airports need to meet a higher Federal Aviation Administration target for reducing flights Tuesday after already canceling thousands to scale back demands on the nation’s aviation system during the government shutdown .

The FAA ordered domestic airlines last week to drop 4% of their flights at 40 major U.S. airports , saying absences and signs of stress among traffic controllers made it imperative to act in the name of public safety. After already canceling more than 7,900 since Friday, the goal for cutting flights is set to rise to 6% on Tuesday and again to 10% on Friday.

But it was unclear exactly how many additional flights would need to be canceled Tuesday. The average cancellation rate over the last few days already excee

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