Why Congress can add flights to D.C.'s busiest airport
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Reagan National Airport is getting five new long-haul flights — thanks to Congress.
Why it matters: With recent near misses and warnings about more delays, you might wonder why Congress controls the airport in the first place.
The gist: Uniquely, Congress established National and Dulles International Airport, and later in 1987 delegated management to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
- And while MWAA was staunchly against adding more flights to National, Congress is the decider.
Catch up fast: Flights out of DCA are limited to a 1,250-mile radius, which restricts the number of nonstop routes to the West.
- Yes, but: Over the decades, Congress has made exceptions.
And while members of Congress from around the Beltway opposed the latest additions, a group led by Delta Airlines ultimately convinced out-of-town lawmakers that the airport could handle the new load.
- One reason: Members of Congress want direct flights back home.
State of play: The carriers applied for the following routes:
- American Airlines to San Antonio
- United Airlines to San Francisco
- Delta to Seattle
- Southwest to Las Vegas
- Alaska Airlines to San Diego
- Jet Blue to San Juan
- Frontier to San Juan
- Spirit to San Jose
The U.S. Transportation Department tells Axios a final decision is expected in a "timely manner" after the public comment deadline, which was Wednesday.
Reality check: But what about the worries over safety?
- Nationwide, "serious runway incidents" dropped by 64% in the first five months of 2024 compared to last year, an FAA spokesperson said.
- But the FAA spokesperson referred questions about National to the U.S. DOT.
A Transportation Department spokesperson declined to comment due to the pending slot decision.
- For its part, MWAA spokesperson Crystal Nosal told Axios that National already "operates at or near capacity for much of the day, with the busiest runway in America."
- "Delays and cancellations, already a concern, could be exacerbated by additional flights — especially during the busier hours," she wrote in an email, noting that the FAA requires "spacing between aircraft operations for safety reasons."
Between the lines: United Airlines had lobbied against new slots at Reagan National, but now is taking advantage of the chance to add a San Fransisco route.
- CEO Scott Kirby said a year ago that any changes had the "potential to create more congestion and delays."
The other side: There are three time blocks when National is underutilized, according to the Capital Access Alliance, the lobbying campaign in favor of the slots.