How many flights could Logan Airport see canceled? They’re not done yet

On a typical early November day, more than 1,000 flights can take off and land at Logan International Airport in Boston.

The volume is lower than in the peak summer months, when the average number of daily arrivals and departures eclipses 1,200, according to data from the flight tracking website FlightAware. But it’s enough that a 10% reduction in flights — like officials at Logan and other major airports are bracing for — can mean dozens of flights canceled each day.

Logan was one of 40 high-traffic airports ordered to reduce flights this week amid a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by the federal government shutdown.

As the shutdown banger five weeks on Wednesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the airports would need to reduce flights by 4% beginning Friday. The cut will steadily climb to 10% by Nov. 14, though Duffy signaled Friday that it could reach 20% if the shutdown drags on.

By mid-afternoon Friday, 20 outgoing flights had been canceled at Logan, representing 3% of its departures. Another 18 flights that had been scheduled to arrive at Logan were also canceled, according to FlightAware data.

Additional flights had already been canceled at Logan Airport on Saturday.

The cuts are scheduled to increase to 6% on Tuesday of next week, 8% on Thursday and 10% on Friday. A 10% reduction in Logan’s departures could mean more than 50 flights canceled, FlightAware data suggests.

Each day brings the U.S. closer to Thanksgiving and one of the busiest travel periods of the year. On the Sunday after the holiday last year, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 3 million travelers, a record.

Other major airports also saw dozens of flights canceled Friday, led by Chicago O’Hare International Airport, with 45 flights, FlightAware data showed around 4 p.m. Friday. Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., saw 40 flights canceled, 8% of its departures on Friday, the data showed.

Officials at Massport, the agency that operates Logan Airport, said they expected airlines to contact affected passengers directly.

“We urge passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport,” the agency said.

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 due to a funding dispute in Congress. Among the main sticking points are Democrats’ insistence that Republicans extend expiring healthcare subsidies that prevent sharp increases in many Americans’ medical expenses.

The shutdown is immediately the longest in the country’s history.

It has left about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay for over a month, leading to staffing shortages, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Our federal partners have continued to come to work admirably under challenging circumstances, and we remain in close communication with them, as well as with our airline partners, to minimize disruptions and keep passengers informed,” Massport said Thursday.

Delays at Logan Airport during the shutdown have been mainly due to weather conditions or ongoing construction on one of the runways, which is expected to continue through mid-November.