The United States faces growing chaos as the ongoing federal government shutdown — now the longest in the nation’s history at 36 days — begins to disrupt air travel on a massive scale. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that, starting Friday, 10 percent of flights will be cut across 40 major airports if the shutdown continues. The decision comes amid a severe shortage of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff, many of whom have been working without pay for weeks. Although the government has not released the full list of affected airports, the measure is expected to impact busy hubs including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Industry analysts at Cirium estimate the cuts could reduce around 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats daily. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that stricter controls might follow if the crisis persists. Airlines and trade groups such as Airlines for America are coordinating with the government to minimize disruptions for passengers and cargo transport. Since the shutdown began, over 3.2 million travelers have faced flight delays or cancellations, and more than 2,100 flights were delayed on Wednesday alone.