New Delhi: For the second day in a row, U.S. airlines have cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Saturday, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continued to reduce air traffic because of the ongoing government shutdown.

According to FlightAware, over 1,000 flights were cancelled on both Friday and Saturday. Charlotte’s airport saw the most cancellations, with around 120 flights canceled by midday. Flights were also delayed at major airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and Orlando, while Charlotte and Newark were dealing with staff shortages.

The situation has not caused any major chaos at airports yet, but the cancellations have deepened the impact of the nation’s longest ever government shutdown.

The FAA said the slowdown currently affects 4 per cent of flights at 40 major airports. This number will increase to 10 per cent by Friday if the shutdown continues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that even more flight cancellation might be needed if more air traffic controllers stop working.

“We all have places to be,” said Emmy Holguin, 36, a Miami passenger flying to the Dominican Republic to visit her family. “I just hope the government can fix this soon.”

Controllers have gone unpaid for almost a month, forcing many workers to call in sick or take second jobs to manage expenses. Most are already working six days a week without pay.

According to the experts these flight disruptions may affect more than just air travel.  Since passenger planes carry about half of U.S. air cargo, delays could lead to higher shipping costs and prices.

“This shutdown affects everything- business travel, tourism, even local economies,” said Greg Raiff, CEO of Elevate Aviation Group. “The ripple effect will be felt everywhere.”

While some passengers have easily managed to book their flights again, many worry about what will happen next. “Travel is stressful enough, and these cancellations make it worse,” said Heather Xu, 46, flying home to Puerto Rico after a cruise.