ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said ahead of the partial government shutdown ending Wednesday night, the company’s flights will be “back to normal by the weekend.”

Bastian made the comments on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”

“If shutdown ends today it will be back to normal by the weekend.” When asked again, he said Friday or Saturday.

Bastian said Delta has had more than 2,000 cancellations since the Federal Aviation Administration’s mandate to reduce flights because of the shutdown was issued last Friday.

In a statement following President Donald Trump signing a bill to end the shutdown, the airline said it “appreciates the work of the U.S. Congress to reopen the federal government.”

“We are extremely grateful to all the federal workers including air traffic controllers and officers with the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection who worked without a paycheck for more than 40 days to keep our skies safe and secure – and to Delta people who went above and beyond to take care of our customers and government workers during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history," Delta said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing our operation back to full capacity over the next few days and delivering the premium experience our customers expect as we look ahead to the holiday season.”

A total of 40 airports were impacted by the mandate, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Bastian described the last week as “tough” for his industry. He also urged federal lawmakers to designate air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officials as “essential workers,” similar to the military, should future partial government shutdowns happen in the future.

Earlier Wednesday, Bastian rang the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange as the company marked 100 years in business, the first U.S. airline to reach that milestone.

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Flight reductions at those 40 major U.S. airports will remain at 6% instead of rising to 10% by the end of the week because more air traffic controllers are coming to work, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday.

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