Business
Busiest US airports face flight reductions because of government shutdown
Grace Eliza Goodwin and Kwasi Gyamfi AsieduWashington
Air travel will be cut by up to 10% at 40 major airports, resulting in thousands of cancelled flights, in the coming days if the US government shutdown continues, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced.
The decision, which will impact domestic flights only, was made because air traffic controllers had been reporting fatigue, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, are working without pay – or are on forced leave – because the US Congress has not agreed to a funding budget.
Major airports in Atlanta, New York and Washington DC will be affected by the reduction in service.
“Our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” Duffy said in a statement.
Unions say many employees are becoming ill with stress or are being forced into taking second jobs.
On Wednesday, the federal government funding impasse became the longest shutdown in US history.
“It is unusual,” said FAA chief Bryan Bedford of the planned flight reductions, “just as the shutdown is unusual, just as the fact that our controllers haven’t been paid for a month is unusual.”
The flight reductions will be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday. It will rise to 6% by 11 November and 8% by 13 November, before hitting a full 10% by 14 November.
Duffy made the announcement Thursday evening, along with providing an official list of the 40 airports impacted.
The airports are all in high-traffic cities, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, New York John F Kennedy International, Chicago O’Hare International, Ronald Reagan Washington National, and Los Angeles International airports.
The cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day. US media also reported that international flights would not be affected.
Low budget carrier Frontier Airlines warned customers to buy tickets at other airlines as a contingency plan.
The reduction in service is needed to ensure the US airspace remained safe for passengers, the FAA said.
In a statement, American Airlines, the second-largest carrier in North America, said it was waiting for more information from the FAA so it could determine which flights will be scrapped, but that “we expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected”.
Delta Air Lines told the BBC most of its flights would continue as scheduled, adding that all customers could change, cancel or refund their flights without penalty.
Once government funds ran out on 1 October, most federal workers were sent home and told they would be paid once the government reopened. Those deemed essential, like controllers, though, had to keep doing their jobs without pay.
Almost immediately after the shutdown started, airports began feeling the effects. Some had to ground flights for hours after air traffic controllers called out sick, while others relied on controllers from other airports.
Duffy warned earlier this week that flight cancellations could be coming, as half the country’s 30 major airports experienced staff shortages.
Nick Daniels, the president of the labour union representing more than 20,000 aviation workers, put the situation into stark terms on Wednesday.
“Air traffic controllers are texting, ‘I don’t even have enough money to put gas in my car to come to work,'” he told CNN. “We base what we do day in and day out on predictability,” he said. “Right now there is no predictability.”
Writing recently for MSNBC, another controller, a single father, said he was working for food delivery service DoorDash after his daily air traffic shift ended, and was “sleeping only two hours most nights”.
“Like many families, we didn’t plan for a shutdown,” he wrote. “Yet the bills don’t stop.”
Duffy previously said there was a risk that came with air traffic controllers taking on additional jobs during the shutdown, and had threatened to fire controllers who did not come to work.
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Get in touch.
Craft beer brand BrewDog could be sold off after the company started the process to find new investors.
The Scottish beer brand recently announced plans to close all of its distilling brands, meaning it would no longer produce any of its spirits, including Duo Rum, Abstrakt Vodka, and Lonewolf Gin, at its distillery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.
The company, which was founded in 2007, said it made the decision to focus on its beer brands, including the highly-popular Punk IPA, Elvis Juice, and Hazy Jane.
Now, in a statement, a spokesperson for BrewDog said the company had appointed Alix Partners to “support a structured and competitive process to evaluate the next phase of investment for the business.”
The statement said: “As with many businesses operating in a challenging economic climate and facing sustained macro headwinds, we regularly review our options with a focus on the long-term strength and sustainability of the company.
“Following a year of decisive action in 2025, which saw a focus on costs and operating efficiencies, we have appointed AlixPartners to support a structured and competitive process to evaluate the next phase of investment for the business. This is a deliberate and disciplined step with a focus on strengthening the long-term future of the BrewDog brand and its operations.”
Although no decisions have been made, a sale is under consideration.
In a statment BrewDog added: “BrewDog remains a global pioneer in craft beer: a world-class consumer brand, the No.1 independent brewer in the UK, and with a highly engaged global community. We believe that this combination will attract substantial interest, though no final decisions have been made.”
According to reports by Sky News, AlixPartners had begun sounding out prospective buyers in the last few days.
The company, which has 72 bars worldwide and four breweries in Scotland, the US, Australia, and Germany, said its breweries, bars, and venues will continue to operate as normal. It employs 1400 people across the organisation.
BrewDog’s founders James Watt and Martin Dickie are the company’s major shareholders alongside private equity company TSG, which invested £213 million in 2017, making it a 21 per cent shareholder.
In 2024, the beer brand grossed £357 million in sales, and it is a major independent brewer with 4 per cent market share in the UK grocery market.
Beermaker BrewDog could be broken up after consultants were called in to help look for new investors.
The Scotland-based brewer, which makes craft beer such as Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, has appointed consultants AlixPartners to oversee a sale process.
Last month, BrewDog announced it was closing its distilling brands, sparking concerns for jobs at its facility in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.
The company, which was founded in 2007, said it made the decision to focus on its beer products.
No decision has been made in respect of the sale process.
A spokesperson for BrewDog said: “As with many businesses operating in a challenging economic climate and facing sustained macro headwinds, we regularly review our options with a focus on the long-term strength and sustainability of the company.
“Following a year of decisive action in 2025, which saw a focus on costs and operating efficiencies, we have appointed AlixPartners to support a structured and competitive process to evaluate the next phase of investment for the business.
“This is a deliberate and disciplined step with a focus on strengthening the long-term future of the BrewDog brand and its operations.
“BrewDog remains a global pioneer in craft beer: a world-class consumer brand, the number one independent brewer in the UK and with a highly engaged global community.
“We believe that this combination will attract substantial interest, though no final decisions have been made.
“Our breweries, bars, and venues continue to operate as normal. We will not comment on any further speculation.”
Brewdog operates 72 bars around the world as well as four breweries.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has raised serious concerns over how real estate regulatory authorities are functioning across the country. Taking a sharp view, the top court said it may be “better to abolish” these bodies, suggesting they have failed to protect homebuyers and instead appear to benefit defaulting builders. The court added that states should reconsider the very need for such authorities if they are not serving their intended purpose.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said states should rethink the original purpose behind introducing RERA. The court observed that instead of protecting homebuyers, the law appears to be helping defaulting builders and not serving its intended role.
Expressing strong concern, CJI Surya Kant said states should reflect on the purpose for which RERA was created. He suggested the institution is failing to serve homebuyers and instead appears to benefit defaulting builders. “All states should now think of the people for whom the institution of RERA was created. Except facilitating builders in default, it is not doing anything else. Better to just abolish this institution,” CJI Kant said, quoted by Bar and Bench.
Last year, the High Court had stayed the state government’s decision to shift the RERA office, pointing out that the move was taken “without even identifying an alternative office location”. The court also noted that transferring 18 outsourced employees to other boards and corporations, as requested, “would render the functioning of Rera defunct”.
The Supreme Court, however, set aside the High Court’s order and allowed the state government to shift the RERA office to Dharamshala. It also permitted the relocation of the appellate tribunal to the same location. “With a view to ensure that persons affected by Rera orders are not inconvenienced, the principal appellate is also moved to Dharamshala,” the apex court said.
What Is RERA And Why It Matters
RERA, introduced in 2016, was aimed at addressing project delays, improving transparency and safeguarding homebuyers’ interests. Earlier, each state and union territory operated its own RERA website. However, in September 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched a unified RERA portal that brings together data from across states and UTs on a single platform.
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