Federal officials announced that the U.S. will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 "high-volume" markets starting on Friday, citing staffing shortages related to the ongoing government shutdown .

"We have decided that a 10% reduction in scheduled capacity would be appropriate to continue to take the pressure off of our controllers," Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Bedford and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the new measures are necessary to keep air travel safe, as pressures on air traffic controllers mount during the longest government shutdown in history.

Bedford said he would specify which 40 markets around the country will be affected on Thursday, adding that the restrictions will affect commerci

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