WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration will begin reducing air traffic by 10% at 40 busy U.S. airports on Friday, potentially affecting thousands of flights.

The airports impacted are among the busiest in the U.S. — including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Why are flights being reduced by the FAA?

The FAA is imposing the flight reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the government shutdown. The agency has already been delaying flights

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