The coronavirus surge continued to disrupt U.S. air travel as airlines canceled hundreds of flights Thursday, while the Federal Aviation Administration warned of possible delays because of the agency’s own Covid-related staffing challenges.
More than 1,300 flights in the U.S. had been scrubbed by late Thursday, according to aviation data tracker FlightAware, with about half as many already canceled for Friday and Saturday each. The tally included domestic flights and those into and out of the U.S.
The FAA on Thursday said its air-traffic control staffing may also come under pressure, as an increasing number of the agency’s employees test positive for Covid-19 along with the rest of the U.S. population.
“To maintain safety, traffic volume at some facilities could be reduced, which might result in delays during busy periods,” an FAA spokesman said. The agency’s employees oversee U.S. airspace at control towers across the country.
The FAA’s warning came after several airlines scaled back their flight plans for similar reasons. JetBlue Airways Corp., which has moved to trim its schedule through mid-January due to increasing numbers of crews calling in sick, had canceled 177 flights Thursday, or 17% of the carrier’s schedule for the day, as of the evening, according to FlightAware.
The New York-based airline said late Wednesday that it would cancel about 1,280 flights…