International flights won’t be impacted by shutdown, Transportation secretary says

International flights will continue to operate as usual despite the ongoing government lockdown, Transport Minister Sean Duffy said on Friday.

Duffy spoke to reporters this morning at Reagan National Airport as the government shutdown worsened travel disruptions across the country, affecting millions of passengers and forcing the government to reduce the volume of flights.

“International flights will not be affected, and there is a reason for that,” Duffy said. “We have international agreements that we abide by, and because of those international agreements, I will not affect those international flights.”

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If the agreement is broken, other countries will eventually “cut off U.S. flights,” Duffy said. He said this would have a “long-term impact on our ability to send travelers from the United States to those partner countries.”

United Airlines told FOX Business that United-operated flights connecting its two major airports and its international flights will not be affected by this schedule reduction, because “this will help us maintain our operations and give affected customers as many options as possible to resume their journey.”

United Airlines planes taxi to a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport. (Gary Hirschorn/Getty Images)

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American Airlines told FOX Business that there will be no impact on its international flights at this time either.

The Federal Aviation Administration said this week it would reduce traffic by 10% across 40 high volume markets to maintain safety amid lockdown and ongoing shortage of air traffic control personnel. The move could result in thousands of flights being canceled daily as long as the lockdown continues.

Airlines work to limit impact as FAA reduces air traffic by 10% across 40 markets amid lockdown

The reduction was implemented to relieve pressure on the aviation system, which was already dealing with a staffing crisis.

Air traffic controllers were forced to work overtime, with many clocking six days a week and 10 hours a day. And now, they’ve gone more than a month without a paycheck, too. Some began calling due to financial pressures, resulting in flight delays Major airports.

People walk through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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More than 3.2 million airline passengers have been affected by delays or cancellations due to staffing shortages related to air traffic controller staffing issues since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1, the industry trade group Airlines for America said.

Reuters contributed to this report.