Airline schedules return to normal but air traffic control remains short

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted mandatory flight limits on Monday at 6 a.m. They were put in place to reduce the workload on short-staffed air traffic controllers at 40 large airports during the federal government shutdown.

The reductions affected passengers on thousands of flights and exposed a shortage of air traffic controllers that began more than a decade ago.

There is a need for 3,000 more controllers to work in towers and regional air traffic centers all over the country.

Controllers have been working mandatory overtime and six-day work weeks.

Even before the shutdown, airlines had been scaling back flights during peak times to avoid delays caused by staffing challenges at major airports. The FAA, at times, will order ground stops when levels of controllers fall too l