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The American company Delta Air Lines, one of the largest in the country, estimated the impact of the federal government shutdown that occurred between October and November at 200 million dollars, although it stated that the demand for flights has already normalized.
In a statement sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Delta reported that its demand "remains strong" for the December quarter and that trends are solid for early 2026.
The airline explained that the growth in travel bookings has returned to the expected levels after a temporary weakening in November due to the government shutdown, which lasted 43 days and became the longest in U.S. history.
During the shutdown, which affected air traffic control operations, numerous workers stopped getting paid and attending their positions, forcing authorities to impose restrictions on air traffic at several airports across the country.
The CEO of Delta, Ed Bastian, pointed out at a retail forum quoted by The Wall Street Journal that flight bookings fell between 5% and 10% during the ten days that the restrictions were in place, due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
According to the company, the impact of the closure will be reflected in its results for the current quarter, with a reduction in profitability of around 200 million dollars, equivalent to 25 cents of earnings per share.
So far, Delta is the only major U.S. airline that has disclosed the impact of the government shutdown on its operations, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to investigate whether the companies complied with the restrictions imposed during that period.
According to EFE, Delta accumulated 3.786 billion dollars in profits during the first nine months of the year. This figure represents a 45% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
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