FAA to Furlough 11,300 Workers During Shutdown

More than 33,500 other employees will continue working without pay.

Zach Vasile

Wednesday, October 01, 2025 at 10:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An FAA agency flag [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA plans to furlough approximately 11,300 workers as a result of the federal government shutdown.
Despite the furloughs, over 33,500 essential FAA employees will continue to perform critical air safety functions like air traffic control, safety inspections, and accident investigations, working without pay.
Non-essential FAA activities, including aviation rulemaking, capital planning, and most administrative support functions, will be suspended during the shutdown.

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The FAA plans to furlough about 11,300 workers while the federal government is shut down.

According to a U.S. Department of Transportation planning document, 11,332 people at the agency will be furloughed as of Wednesday. It is expected to take about half a day to fully “shut down” the FAA, though in reality it will continue to perform air traffic control (ATC) and other air safety functions.