Birmingham airport

The pain Americans are facing at airports across the country is expected to get worse this week if Congress is unable to reach a deal to reopen the federal government. At Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport, passengers faced sixteen (updated) flight cancellations today, following a weekend of similar frustrations, according to the website FlightAware.

Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport is on track to equal or surpass Saturday’s cancellations as the federal shutdown drags on. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,500 weekend flights by Saturday evening. This morning, the website FlightAware said Birmingham’s airport saw seventeen cancellations (updated) Sunday morning, after fifteen flights were called off on Saturday. Three flights were cancelled on Friday, and none on Thursday.

U.S. airlines began canceling hundreds of flights Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce traffic at the country’s busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown. That appears to include Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport, but not at the rates seen in larger airline hubs.

Hundreds of flights set for Friday are already being cut at major U.S. airports as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's effort to phase in 10% reductions because of the government shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration is imposing the reductions to take pressure off air traffic controllers, who are federal employees and have been working without pay during the shutdown. Birmingham/Shuttlesworth International Airport isn’t on the list for cutbacks, but Atlanta is and that could mean problems.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell has announced the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport will receive $6,481,875 in federal funding. The money will be used to make improvements to the safety and reliability of the airport’s aprons and taxiways.

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