Over 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Friday as an order to reduce air traffic took effect amid an air traffic controller staffing shortage during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. U.S. flight-tracking website FlightAware showed that as of 17:00 Friday, 4,309 flights had been delayed and 1,002 canceled. This came after the U.S. Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that the federal government will reduce airline traffic at 40 locations beginning on Friday. The FAA-mandated flight cancellation plan calls for a 4-percent reduction in operations on Friday. It will ramp up to 6 percent by next Tuesday, 8 percent by next Thursday, and up to 10 percent by next Friday. The nation's four major airlines -- American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines -- were all affected by the flight cut. United Airlines and American Airlines have announced that hundreds of flights will be cancelled in the coming days. American Airlines will cut 220 flights on Saturday, and United Airlines will cancel an average of about 200 flights per day in next few days. Major aviation hubs such as Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles were all impacted. Among them, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and Denver Airport suffered the most severe disruptions. A large number of passengers were hindered from traveling due to flight cancellations and had to change their plans. Since the U.S. federal government shutdown began on Oct 1, about 13,000 air traffic controllers and roughly 50,000 airport security officers have been forced to work without pay. Duffy recently said that some air traffic controllers have been working 10-hour days, six days per week. An increasing number of employees have taken leave, leading to acute staffing shortages in the aviation industry, worsening flight delays across many regions, and raising concerns over aviation safety. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council of the U.S., said Friday in a television news program that the government shutdown's impact on the economy far exceeded expectations and could cause long-term damage to government operations. The U.S. GDP growth in the fourth quarter is expected to slow, with industries such as tourism and leisure suffering significant setbacks, he warned. The video shows: Miami, USA - Nov 3-4, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of plane taking off, air traffic control tower 2. Various of travelers checking flight information 3. Various of travelers at airport 4. Various of travelers waiting in line at security checkpoint 5. Various of plane taking off, taxiing; air traffic control tower Chicago, Illinois, USA - Oct 8, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 6. Travelers outside airport terminal 7. Various of air traffic control tower Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 8. White House 9. Various of Capitol building New York City, USA - October 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland) 10. Traffic Los Angeles, USA - 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 11. Various of cargo ship, containers; crane, truck moving container at port [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]