The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has lifted the flight-reduction emergency order, as the number of staffing-trigger events at air traffic control facilities has been in steady decline since the government shutdown ended.

The rules, in force since November 9, limited general aviation operations, commercial space launches, and visual flight-rules. They also introduced an initial 3% capacity reduction at 40 major airports across the United States and targeted (an up to 10% reduction as part of efforts to ease workloads on air traffic controllers, who had been working unpaid during the 43-day US federal government shutdown.

The government also previously banned most general aviation operations at 12 airports.

Bryan Bedford, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the decision to rescind the order “reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns across the National Airspace System and allows us to return to normal operations.”

The FAA said it was aware of reports of carriers that did not comply with the capacity reductions during the course of the emergency order. It has launched a review and is assessing enforcement options, including the possibility of placing penalties of up to USD75,000 for every flight operated above the mandated limits, Bloomberg reported.