San Antonio International Airport is not one of the 40 airports affected by a federal mandate to cut flights at the nation’s busiest airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered those airlines to cut 10% of its flights because of the federal government’s ongoing shutdown, which affects air traffic controller staffing.
Four of those airports are in Texas — Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, as well as Houston’s William P. Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental Airports.
The cuts to flights go into effect Friday. SAT officials said in a statement Thursday that there could still be effects for local travelers.
“While we are grateful that San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is not among the airports identified by the Federal Aviation Administration, it is possible that travelers may be impacted by reductions in service at other airports,” said Tonya Hope, SAT’s public relations manager.
Hope added that SAT had not experienced any other operational impacts from the government shutdown. Security checkpoints, border protection and air traffic control services continue to operate at SAT, she said.
“Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Air Traffic Control employees continue to perform their essential work, despite not being paid currently,” she said in an email.
Those employees are utilizing support from the San Antonio Food Bank, Hope added. The food bank is looking for more support as demand for services increase during the government shutdown, which has lasted 37 days now.
The shutdown has lasted since Oct. 1 and is now the longest in U.S. history.
Airlines for America, a trade association for U.S. airlines, said 3.4 million passengers have been affected by the shutdown. The association projects 31 million travelers will fly over the Thanksgiving holiday later this month.
