Over 40 percent of DCA flights delayed or canceled last month
Delays at Reagan National Airport tripled and cancellations spiked in the wake of January's deadly collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter.
Last month, 34 percent of flight arrivals were delayed — compared with 11 percent in February 2024. And more than 7 percent of flights were canceled, compared with half a percent last year. Delays have dropped in recent weeks, but since the crash more than 1 in 4 flights were late.
'For the traveling public, we apologize for some of the delays and inconveniences but I think everyone will understand that safety is paramount,' Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority President Jack Potter said at a board meeting Wednesday where the numbers were shared.
A major snowstorm in mid-February also contributed to the airport's difficulties.
The Jan. 29 crash between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, which killed 67 people, came after numerous close calls in the congested airspace around National. Since then, the Federal Aviation Administration has reduced the number of arrivals allowed at the airport every hour and stopped all air traffic whenever a helicopter was nearby. Last week, the FAA announced permanent restrictions on 'nonessential' helicopter traffic in the area.
Helicopters are also not currently allowed to use 'visual separation' to avoid other aircraft in most situations. The helicopter crew on the Black Hawk had confirmed to controllers that it would use visual separation, in which the pilot keeps an eye out for traffic instead of relying on radar or other technology. Experts say that the crew may have mistaken the lights of a different jet for the plane in their path.
Presidential flights are considered essential, and some of the worst delays have come when President Donald Trump is flying in and out of the White House on Marine One. The FAA said Friday that it would again allow use of visual separation for Marine, Coast Guard and Park Police helicopters.
Statistics released by the MWAA also show a drop in passengers at the airport of about 12 percent from last year. Officials attributed the downturn to a mix of fear after the disaster and other high-profile plane crashes, decreased federal and contractor spending and fewer Canadians and Europeans interested in traveling to D.C.
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