Phoenix Sky Harbor likely to face FAA flight cuts, delays

State of play: Details on flight cancellations have been murky.

• FAA administrator Bryan Bedford announced Wednesday that 10% of air traffic at 40 "high-traffic" U.S. airports will be cut starting Friday.
• The agency hasn't shared a final account of impacted airports, but a draft list obtained by ABC News and other outlets included Sky Harbor.
• Meanwhile, CNN on Thursday reported the cuts may start at 4% Friday before ramping up to 10% over the following few days.

Behind the scenes: The FAA has been working with airlines to implement the cuts, which are meant to relieve pressure on controllers.

• That's a balancing act given the many users of the national airspace system: airlines, cargo, business jets, general aviation, etc.

Zoom in: Sky Harbor officials directed all questions to the FAA.

• On its website, the airport cautions that delays are expected given "air traffic constraints."

What they're saying: At a Wednesday press conference, Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy framed the cuts as a way to preserve safety while still launching as many flights as possible.

• "We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating," Bedford said, referring to reports of air safety issues tied to staffing problems.

Flashback: Flight delays and cancellations had an under-appreciated role in ending the last major shutdown, back in 2018-19 during President Trump's first term.

• Yes, but: This record-setting shutdown shows no signs of ending any time soon.

What's next: More cuts could follow if the FAA deems it necessary to ensure safety, potentially affecting Thanksgiving travel later this month.

• "If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we'll come back and take additional measures," Bedford said Wednesday.