Senators fight to remove additional DCA flights in FAA bill

WASHINGTON — Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have both sent letters to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) expressing concerns about recent near misses at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

On May 29, an air traffic controller had to cancel the takeoff of an American Airlines flight because another flight had been cleared to land on an intersecting runway at the same time. In April, two planes were just 300 feet away from colliding.

Both senators asked DOT Secretary Buttigieg how the agency and the FAA plan to implement the 2024 Reauthorization Act, which will add 10 additional flights arriving and departing from DCA Airport without introducing additional risks to passengers, airport staff and the facility.

“These recent near misses underscore the critical importance of ensuring the highest safety standards at our nation's airports, particularly for an airport as busy and nationally significant as DCA,” the senators wrote. “The recent near misses raise serious questions about DCA's current ability to handle additional flights without compromising the safety of air traffic control operations. »

For months, Warner and Kaine have raised concerns about adding additional flights to DCA. They filed an amendment to remove the ten additional flights to and from DCA from the bill.

The senators asked the DOT to “…please provide information on any actions the Department is taking in light of these two near misses, including the rationale for these actions and any potential future actions being considered.” We also ask the department to share its plans to minimize additional risks to DCA facilities and personnel as these additional flights are integrated into the daily schedule.

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