Ronald Reagan was delayed or canceled about four flights to 10 flights last month at Washington National Airport (DCA). Most Fatal US Commercial Airline Crash For over 20 years.
The Federal Aviation Administration continued to limit the number of planes arriving at the airport for safety reasons following the January 29 collision between the American Airlines Regional Jet and the US Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.
Still, air traffic restrictions have fueled the difficulties of travel at busy airports, the DCA governing body revealed this week.
DCA mounted flight confusion
During February, nearly 34% of flights arriving at DCA, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority says in a new Report. That’s about three times the number of times that last February.
read more: Has the flight been cancelled or has it been delayed? There’s what to do next
Nearly 8% of flights heading to DCA were cancelled last month, and the MWAA rose sharply from around 0.5% of the x at the same time last year.
The FAA began restricting air traffic at the DCA shortly after the crash in late January, initially halting all flights and decouping the plane to nearby Dulles International Airport (IAD) amid a massive investigation.
Then, as the runway resumed in the next few days and weeks, the FAA maintained a cap on the number of hourly wages that could land at the DCA. For most of February, the number of flights that could land each hour fell by more than 10% from the usual allowed fees.
In addition to the chaos: routine air traffic stops by local helicopters.
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Following the fatal collision, the FAA said it would quickly implement restrictions on helicopter traffic and last week it would close the chopper route near the airport and only allow essential helicopter traffic, listening to emergency safety recommendations from the National Road Safety Commission.
Still, several helicopter flights, including one transport of President Donald Trump’s Marines, are still permitted and will lead the agency to frequently suspend all DCA flights, the MWAA said.
Fear of flight: A new poll suggests that 65% of respondents are more nervous in light of recent plane collisions
The MWAA reports that delays have been widespread in recent weeks. On February 28, the FAA increased the number of hourly arrivals allowed at airports to nearly 95% of their normal level.
At the time of writing this story on the afternoon of March 20th, about 12% of DCA bound flights on the day’s schedule were delayed. FlightAware.
Travelers especially worried about encountering flight delays can always consider jumping out of IAD or nearby Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Both airports are far from the heart of Washington, DC, but IAD is accessible via the region’s metro transport system. BWI travelers can connect to the Amtrak airport via DC’s Union Station
Located on the Potomac River in Virginia, DCA is a popular regional airport. Some of the largest airlines in the US have a considerable presence there. Most notably American Airlines operates its mid-Atlantic hub at the airport.
DCA Passenger Transportation
This week, airport officials also revealed a significant drop in passenger traffic in recent weeks.
The number of passengers boarded the flight at DCA last month has fallen by about 12% to 13% from last year, the MWAA said in a report this week.
Airport officials said the trip decline was largely due to a decline in government travel and economic concerns amid the Trump administration’s cuts that overturned federal and contractor labor.
Some of these concerns go beyond the DCA.
US airlines have begun to express concern Potential softness in travel demand last week. At least one major European airline said this week that he was watching the TPG. It’s a surprise to travelers On vacation in the US
Data reviewed by the TPG shows that the total number of passengers who passed the Transport Security Management Checkpoint nationwide in February 2025 was even the total number in February 2024. This trend differs from the 6% to 7% year-on-year surge we’ve become accustomed to since the coronavirus pandemic.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that the recent increase in flight disruption at DCA and the decline in passenger traffic will lead to its arrival at DCA as it launched a new transcontinental route from the airport last month. Congress approved these routes Last year, a controversial move.
These new routes include non-stop American Airlines service to San Antonio International Airport (SAT), Alaska Airlines service to San Diego International Airport (SAN), flights to Las Vegas Harry Reed International Airport (Las), and Delta Airlines service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (sea).
United Airlines was scheduled to launch its second daily non-stop flight to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as part of a Congress-approved exception to DCA’s long-standing restrictions on long-distance flights.
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