Chaos at US airports, over 5 flights canceled

Over 5 flights in the United States have been canceled or delayed, following the Department of Transportation's decision to reduce them by 10%.

The situation has created chaos at American airports, while problems are also being felt across Europe.

A 10% reduction in domestic flights in the United States has caused chaos at the country's major airports. On Friday alone, more than 1,000 flights were canceled, while about 4,100 others experienced long delays.

The situation arose following the decision by the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority to lay off dozens of air traffic controllers at the 40 busiest airports.

They had been working without pay for 37 days as Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach a partial budget deal. According to authorities, many of them had been working two jobs to make ends meet, reaching dangerous levels of fatigue that compromised the safe coordination of flights. To avoid putting thousands of passengers at risk every day, the government ordered them to be suspended from duty.

The chaos in the United States has also caused a chain of delays at international airports in Europe and beyond.

Currently, the reduction in flights is 4%, but is expected to gradually increase in the coming days, until it reaches 10%. Authorities warn that over the coming weekend, if the political situation remains unresolved, the number of disrupted flights could reach up to 20%.