The Federal Aviation Administration plans to cut flights by 10 percent at 40 airports—including Reagan National, Dulles, and BWI—starting Nov. 7 if the government shutdown continues. The move aims to ease strain on unpaid air traffic controllers but is expected to cause widespread delays and cancellations in the Washington area and nationwide.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it will cut air traffic by 10% across 40 high-volume markets starting Friday morning, citing safety concerns as air traffic controllers show signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it was delaying flights at eight airports including in Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Washington and Newark, citing widespread air traffic staffing issues as controllers have not been paid during the government shutdown.

Air traffic control audio shows the communication between the tower and pilots during the bomb threat. The ground stop contributed to flight delays.