TAMPA, Fla — Pilots who frequent Tampa International Airport and have been working throughout the government shutdown say while convenience has been compromised for travelers, safety has not.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised air traffic reductions to 6% on Tuesday at the nation’s 40 busiest airports and that number could climb to 10% by Friday.

What You Need To Know • Pilots say less routes in the skies causing bottlenecks • Not clear how quickly air travel will be back to normal after government reopening • Air traffic controllers set to get 70% of their backpay within 48 hours of the government reopening • TRACK DELAYS: Tampa International Airport

Commercial airline pilot Angel Andres says some of the delays are attributed to less routes being available in the

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