Congress Approved More Flights at Reagan Despite Warnings of Danger

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Posted on 01/30/2025 7:59:23 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

Lawmakers repeatedly added flights despite fears of delays and accidents.

Congress has repeatedly voted to increase the number of daily flights at Reagan National Airport, adding departures that made life more convenient for lawmakers despite warnings that increased air traffic around Washington would raise the risk of delays and accidents.

On Tuesday, an American Airlines regional jet with 64 people on board collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near the airport. Authorities have said that none of those on either aircraft are believed to have survived.

The causes of that collision are still unclear. But a look back at that airport’s recent history shows that Congress played a role in making the airspace around it busier.

Reagan is one of three U.S. airports governed by a “slot” system, in which the Federal Aviation Administration limits the number of daily takeoffs and landings to prevent overcrowded airspace. The other two are New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.

But the limits at Reagan have been repeatedly expanded by Congress itself, whose members are major users of the airport.

Congress has added more than 50 new slots to the airport’s daily schedule since 2000, including 10 that lawmakers approved last year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

The newest slots are not yet in use. Those flights are expected to begin in the coming weeks. When they do, Congress’s actions will have increased the airport’s authorized traffic by more than 50 takeoffs or landings, or more than 25 round trips.

Those increases have brought major benefits for members of Congress, allowing them to fly home from an airport just a few minutes from...

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...

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To: E. Pluribus Unum

2 posted on 01/30/2025 8:05:49 PM PST by Equine1952

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