National Airport

News

Reagan National’s noisiest planes are far less common than a decade ago

By Scott McCaffrey
An airplane takes off from Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reagan National Airport has seen a significant decline in the loudest aircraft types over the past decade, but some advocates say it’s not enough to mitigate the impacts of increased flight operations.

Stage 3 commercial aircraft — the noisiest in current fleets — have declined from 21% of all operations in 2015 to 2% in 2025 at Reagan National, while Stage 4 and Stage 5 aircraft have increased from 79% to 98% of the total, according to Michael Jeck, the noise office manager at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).

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News

Reagan National saw 5% fewer passengers after federal layoffs, midair crash in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Reagan National Airport (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A year with multiple challenges led to a 5% passenger-traffic decline at Reagan National Airport in 2025.

Federal job cuts, the seven-week government shutdown, wintry weather and the aftermath of the fatal midair crash over the Potomac River all affected total passenger levels for the year, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) President Jack Potter said.

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News

FAA is making the rules imposed after an airliner collided with an Army helicopter permanent

By The Associated Press
Boats and the U.S. Park Police helicopter search the Potomac River the morning after the mid-air collision and crash (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The temporary rules imposed after last year’s collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter to improve the safety of the crowded airspace around Washington D.C. are being made permanent, the government announced Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration took steps to make sure that helicopters and airplanes would no longer share the same airspace around Reagan National Airport shortly after the investigation into the Jan. 29 crash began. The rules also prohibit air traffic controllers from relying on visual separation and require all military aircraft to broadcast their locations.

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News

Series of weekend Metro closures coming to Crystal City and Reagan National

By Dan Egitto
The forthcoming east entrance to the Crystal City Metro station (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A series of weekend closures at the Crystal City and Reagan National Airport Metro stations is taking place between February and June.

Blue and Yellow Line trains won’t run in affected areas during the closures, which are for passenger and crew safety during the construction of a second entrance to the Crystal City station.

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Around Town

Mi Vida, Colada Shop and more planned at Reagan National in 2026

By Jared Serre
Mi Vida coming soon to National Airport’s B Gates (staff photo by Jared Serre)

A cupcake vending machine has departed Reagan National Airport, but several new dining spots are still on their way.

Sprinkles Cupcakes has closed its “cupcake ATMs,” including one at the airport that opened last year, as it shuttered all locations nationwide last week.

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News

Man sentenced for stealing NCIS vehicle and other cars from Reagan National

By Dan Egitto
The tower at Reagan National Airport on a sunny day (staff photo)

A Maryland man was sentenced yesterday (Tuesday) for stealing multiple vehicles from Reagan National Airport, including one belonging to a federal law enforcement agency.

Tyrese McKinnon, 25, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for conspiring to steal five vehicles from Reagan National, and another vehicle from Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport.

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News

FAA head pledges no rollback of D.C. airspace safety measures amid defense bill fight

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com
FILE - Salvage crews work on recovering wreckage near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday he won’t allow operations in the airspace over the nation’s capital to revert back to the way they were before January’s deadly aircraft collision near Reagan National Airport.

Administrator Bryan Bedford told the House aviation subcommittee he won’t forget the 67 people who died when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.

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News

NTSB, elected officials blast safety exception for military flights around DCA

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press
A US Coast Guard helicopter flies over the Potomac River near the Lincoln Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A proposed exception to restrictions on military flights around Reagan National Airport is prompting outcry among some federal officials.

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D) and five other members of Congress representing Virginia joined the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as well as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, in crying foul yesterday (Wednesday).

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News

Airport leaders budget for a modest rebound in Reagan National travelers next year

By Scott McCaffrey
A Delta flight at the gate at Reagan National Airport (staff photo)

Regional airport leaders are budgeting for a moderate rebound in passenger numbers after a decline in 2025.

The calendar year 2026 budget for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) anticipates about 12.8 million enplanements next year, up from a projected 12.6 million in 2025 but down from the record 13.1 million enplanements in 2024.

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News

DEVELOPING: Major delays at Reagan National Airport amid flight cuts

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press
Plane at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Reagan National Airport is “expecting significant delays and cancellations through this evening due to air traffic reductions.”

The airport urged those with flight reservations “to monitor their flight status closely with their airline,” according to a social post Friday afternoon. As of 5 p.m., the FAA listed average flight delays of four hours at Reagan National, attributing the delays to “staffing” issues.

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News

NEW: Reagan National and Dulles are among the airports set for flight cuts

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com
The departures lanes at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

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