The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it plans to roll back some of the restrictions on commercial flights it implemented at 40 major U.S. airports during the shutdown.

The agency says the current mandatory 6% flight cuts are being downgraded to 3% beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday, even though the record 43-day shutdown ended Nov. 12. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said restrictions would remain until staffing at air traffic control facilities stabilizes and safety metrics improve.

The rollback comes amid continued improvements in staffing levels, the FAA and Department of Transportation said Friday, adding that they will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend and evaluate whether normal operations can resume.

By Friday afternoon, the flight t

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