Previously, the total number of flights entering, exiting and travellng within the United States had been slashed by a staggering 6 percent in a bid to keep air travel safe during the shutdown. At the time, Duffy suggested that up to 10 percent of flights could be grounded before Congress reached a breakthrough in ending the shutdown.

The lifting of flight restrictions will set airports back on a path to step up travel just before Thanksgiving.

The FAA said its flight-reduction emergency order will be lifted on Nov. 17 and that normal operations can resume across the National Airspace System.

The FAA had ordered airlines to reduce travel as air traffic controller staffing levels grew strained, but the restriction is now ended.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it plans to roll back some of the restrictions on commercial flights it implemented at 40 major U.S. airports during the shutdown. The agency says the current mandatory 6% flight cuts are being downgraded to 3% beginning at 6 a.

The flight reductions were lifted at 6 a.m. Monday after the FAA said there's been a steady decline in staffing-trigger events.

WASHINGTON -- The FAA is ending its shutdown-era flight cuts at 40 US airports, letting airlines return to normal schedules.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth suggested during a hearing Wednesday that the Trump administration was playing politics with the aviation system during the shutdown to force an agreement to reopen