Government Agencies Are Considering Such An Order, According To Reports

The U.S. commercial aviation industry is preparing contingency plans for a complete shutdown of domestic flights, according to media reports.

Business Insider relays a report from The Wall Street Journal which indicates that the plans are under consideration due to plummeting passenger numbers and an increase of infections reported in air traffic control facilities.

While no final decisions have been made, a broad spectrum of contingencies are being considered.

The Hill reports that the Trump administration has been hesitant to ground all domestic flights because they are carrying mail and vital supplies in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft. One option could be to use a portion of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet ... commercial jets available for the Pentagon to use during national emergencies. Use of the fleet would have to be ordered by the Pentagon or the White House.

Officials told the Wall Street Journal that if such a grounding is ordered, any full shutdown would take several days.

U.S. airlines have drastically cut the number of flights and parked large portions of their fleets as the pandemic continues to spread.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report
Source report