Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Friday that following the conclusion of the government shutdown, it might take “days if not a week” for air travel to fully recover.

During an interview on “America Reports,” Duffy explained, “Even if the government were to reopen tomorrow, which seems unlikely at the moment, it would require days for us to evaluate the return of air traffic controllers to their respective facilities or towers.”

He further elaborated, “Once we manage to reduce the required 10% staffing back to normal levels, airlines will then face the challenge of reinstating their flight schedules and making those flights available for booking once again.”

Duffy emphasized that the airlines won’t resume normal operations immediately after the shutdown ends, suggesting a delay of several days to potentially a week. This information came from a confirmed interaction with reporters. (Getty Images)

The Secretary stressed that both airlines and airports will experience a lag before they can operate normally again.

“The adjustment period for airlines will take a while,” Duffy remarked. “After we increase the number of controllers in towers, airlines will need to adapt accordingly. It could take several days, or even a full week, to restore full operational capacity post-shutdown.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.