Nov 12 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) expects to

have a strong fourth-quarter despite flight disruptions caused

by the federal government shutdown, the carrier's CEO Ed Bastian

told CNBC on Wednesday.

Bastian said that while the disruptions would cost a

significant amount to the industry and the economy, they would

not "wipe out" Delta's quarterly profits.

His comments follow a wave of flight cancellations by U.S.

carriers over the past week caused by air traffic control

absences.

The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, has forced 13,000

air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security

Administration agents to work without pay.

Flight cancellations, however, sharply fell on Wednesday,

hours before the House of Representatives votes on a bill to end

a record-setting government shutdown.