The Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport website showed five flights coming from or heading to the Washington, D.C., area were canceled as of Friday morning with delays listed for another nine flights involving various Midwest and East Coast destinations.
The Rhode Island Airport Corporation announced the delays on the first day of major air travel restrictions at about 40 major airports imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ease pressure on air traffic controllers as the government shutdown continues.
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the federal government shutdown began Oct. 1.
T.F. Green was not included on the list of 40 airports but relies on flights to and from many of those major hubs.
Nationwide, the Associated Press reported that more than 800 flights had been canceled Friday.
“Yesterday operations were normal at the airport; today we are experiencing our first flight cancellations,” airport spokesperson Bill Fischer said in a statement issued at 6:26 a.m. “Again, this is a fluid situation that may vary day-to-day as airlines make decisions to comply with the reduction mandate.”
The airport website lists flight arrivals and departures for today and Saturday. One United flight departure and one United arrival connecting T.F. Green to Washington Dulles early Saturday evening were canceled.
“We are urging passengers to continue to check with their airlines regarding flight status before arriving at the airport,” airport spokesperson Bill Fischer said. “Impacted passengers should contact their airline for rebooking options.”
Today’s impacted/cancelled flights are:
Arrivals
American Airlines – Flight 5613 – 8:29am – Washington (DCA)
United Airlines – Flight 4551 – 9:43am – Washington Dulles (IAD)
Departures:
American Airlines – Flight 5613 – 9:01am – Washington (DCA)
United Airlines – Flight 4617 – 10:18am – Washington Dulles (IAD)
Southwest – Flight 1876 – 4:30pm – Baltimore (BWI)
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
