WASHINGTON — One week after the Federal Aviation Administration began implementing flight restrictions at 40 high-traffic airports around the country, the agency said Friday that the required reductions will decrease. Effective Saturday at 6 a.m. EST, mandatory flight restrictions will decrease from their current level of 6% to 3%.

In a statement, the FAA said it is following the recommendation of its safety and operations team, which has noticed improvements in air traffic controller staffing since the government shutdown ended Wednesday night.

About 13,000 air traffic controllers were required to work without pay during the 43-day shutdown, prompting many to call in sick or take second jobs.

In a post on X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the controllers received 70% of their

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