WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration has "very limited" flexibility to avoid furloughing air traffic controllers if automatic budget cuts go into effect beginning on Friday, agency head Michael Huerta told Congress on Wednesday.

"We've identified a wide variety of savings but I don't think I can absolutely eliminate furloughs," Huerta told the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, in response to Republican suggestions that he could avoid furloughs by shifting agency funding around.

(Reporting By Doug Palmer; Editing by Eric Beech)