More than 100 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway international airports on Saturday, the second day of a Federal Aviation Administration order cutting flights due to the government shutdown.
The cancellation numbers include flights scheduled to either arrive at or depart from Chicago’s airports. In all, about 3% of flights departing from O’Hare were canceled and 3% of flights from Midway as of Saturday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.
These numbers are similar to Friday, the first day of the order, when one employee described O’Hare’s Terminal 2 as a “ghost town.”
Nationwide, airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights Saturday, avoiding widespread disruptions but deepening the impact of what is now the country’s longest government shutdown.
If the shutdown continues, the number of flight cancellations is expected to climb over the next week. The FAA has said reductions affecting commercial airlines would start at 4% of flights at 40 targeted airports — which includes O’Hare and Midway — before climbing to 10%.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that even more flight cuts might be needed if more air traffic controllers are off the job. Air traffic controllers have been forced to work without pay since the start of the shutdown, leading many to call in sick and contribute to already existing staff shortages.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.