Brian, an airport staff member, told the Flagstaff Airport Commission on Nov. 13 that the recent federal government shutdown and a subsequent FAA emergency order reduced capacity across the national air-traffic network and hurt smaller airports like Flagstaff.

"Starting November 8 ... 12 of our 64 flights ... were canceled," Brian said, adding: "So 16% cancellation rate at flights in Flagstaff." He and other staff said cancellations and network disruptions also produced indirect effects on connecting itineraries and cargo operations.

Why it matters: airport staff said smaller regional flights were more likely to be cut when airlines sought to preserve hub-to-hub capacity. That meant Flagstaff bore a disproportionate share of the reductions even though the FAA’s emergency order targeted large hubs.

What staff reported: Brian said air-traffic controllers and many TSA staff continued to work during the shutdown, often without pay, and that those frontline employees performed professionally. The airport recorded approximately 12 canceled flights in the Nov. 8–13 window, directly affecting roughly 780 passengers; cargo operators (FedEx and UPS) also experienced long delays and occasional diversions while trying to find available slots at Phoenix.

Operational detail: the FAA announced phased flight reductions that were to ramp from 4% up to 8%–10% in major hubs; staff said the reopenings limited those cuts to roughly 6% nationally. Because airlines then made local network trade-offs, Flagstaff and other smaller airports saw higher local cancellation and disruption rates.

Response and outlook: the airport increased communications with airlines and posted links to FAA guidance and carrier advisories. Brian said FlightAware and other trackers show cancellations starting to decline and that recovery is likely gradual: "we do expect impacts to continue for another 1 to 2 weeks" as staffing and network schedules normalize.

Next steps: staff will continue to monitor airline schedules, coordinate with carriers and the FAA, and provide updates to the commission. Commissioners asked whether the airport could help by amplifying carrier communications to passengers and by coordinating local support for affected employees.