Political Jostling Fueled More Congestion at Reagan

By Katy Stech Ferek , Xavier Martinez and Catherine Lucey

WASHINGTON—The deadly crash of the American Airlines plane from Wichita, Kan., hit home for Capitol Hill lawmakers who have for years fought over whether to expand the number of flights at Reagan National Airport.

Reagan lies in some of the most tightly restricted but also most congested airspace in the country, with commercial flights often near military and other crafts. On Wednesday night, the American jet carrying 64 people collided midair with a military helicopter over the Potomac River.

“We all fly in and out of that airport,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.). “And I must say I often look out the window, as perhaps you do, with planes taking off and landing, wondering how this dangerous dance is done safely day in and day out.”

The nonstop route to Wichita started last year, following lobbying by Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican, to get American to use an existing slot for the service.

“I know that flight. I’ve flown it many times myself,” Moran told reporters early Thursday. “We’re praying that our responders are safe. And the folks who are on that flight are recovered,” he said.

Reagan was closed for more than three weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the time, some lawmakers discussed closing the airport permanently, given its proximity to the Pentagon and other potential targets.

Reagan, which is hemmed in by water on three sides and has no room to expand, has seen a flood of new flights launched in recent decades, as lawmakers carved out exceptions to limits on the number of longer-distance flights.

Congress controls how many flights can go in and out of the airport, which is preferred by lawmakers, lobbyists and other visitors to the nation’s capital due to its ease of use. In 2023, some lawmakers proposed to add 28 additional daily round-trip flights, a number that was later scaled back. Lawmakers ultimately settled on five additional flights, after a sometimes heated debate over whether the airport was at capacity.

The debate often defied party lines, with local lawmakers generally opposing more slots citing congestion, possible flight delays and safety, joined by lawmakers representing cities that already had direct connections. On the other side were lawmakers who wanted slots for their own cities or airlines, who said opponents were trying to protect Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington Airport from more competition.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) told reporters on Thursday that he had long been “very, very nervous about congestion.” He recounted an incident last year, when he said his flight had to pull up from the runway lastminute to avoid an obstacle. Kaine, who opposed more slots, said he would wait for the National Transportation Safety Board to complete its investigation before reaching any conclusions.

Rep. Marc Veasey (D., Texas) said that, while it appeared that the collision could have happened near any airport, he wants Congress to investigate whether the airspace is too congested and where military aircraft are allowed to fly.

“It’s unthinkable that this happened, and we need to be serious—this doesn’t need to turn into a turf war where people are trying to protect their commercial flights,” he said.

Rep. Jack Bergman (R., Mich.), a pilot who landed dozens of flights into DCA as a commercial pilot for Northwest Airlines, said he believes the airspace in the region is safe and that he and members of the House aviation safety caucus haven’t discussed the congestion as a problem.

He said one of the aviation industry’s best strengths is how accident investigators, aviation officials, airlines and other groups come together to determine the cause of an accident without bias. Asked about other lawmakers who have raised concerns about Washington’s airspace, he said to listen to industry experts.

“If you don’t know what you’re talking about, keep your mouth shut,” he said.

After lawmakers agreed to add five additional round-trip flights in May, Kaine joined with fellow Virginia Sen. Mark Warner in accusing their colleagues of overlooking aviation safety in favor of securing new flights for their constituents, saying the Senate “abdicated its responsibility” to protect the safety of passengers.

Other critics of the proposal to add new flights were less vocal about safety issues but warned that adding more capacity would make it less convenient and lead to additional delays.