When the shutdown ends, air travel will still take a long time to get back to normal

A plane takes off near the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on November 6. Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images Washington —

While the government shutdown may soon be in the rearview mirror, it could leave air travel in a chokehold for months, and possibly years, to come.

Until a deal is officially inked, airlines must continue to follow the Federal Aviation Administration’s emergency order to incrementally reduce flight capacity at 40 major US airports, up to 10%. Starting Tuesday, 6% of flights will be cut.

The order calls for airlines to cancel flights seven days before they are scheduled to fly, and once they are canceled and passengers are informed, they can’t easily be reinstated.

“There are significant challenges with these cancellat