FAA increasing air traffic control staff, supervisors at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
In a statement on Wednesday, the FAA announced it will increase operational supervisor staffing from six to eight people, and review certified professional controller staffing numbers at DCA.
The change comes after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued safety recommendations for DCA following the deadly Jan. 29 collision involving a commercial plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
In addition, FAA officials are also evaluating current arrival rates at DCA, which has the busiest runway in America, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).
The FAA will review DCA's arrival rate of aircraft per hour, which is "disproportionately concentrated within the last 30 minutes of each hour," according to the agency.
Spacing between each flight is required to keep operations safe, according to the MWAA.
In March, the FAA announced it would permanently restrict "non-essential" helicopter operations around DCA, and eliminate helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic.
It also prohibited the simultaneous use of runways 15/33 and 4/22 when helicopters conducting urgent missions are operating near DCA.
In response to the crash, which happened during an Army flight check, the FAA said it will also be sending its Critical Incident Stress Management team "to support the well-being of controllers" this month.
The team will offer confidential support to staff "following stressful events," according to the statement.
Regular wellness checks will also be conducted at the facility.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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