Reagan airport was at the center of a fierce safety debate last year. Lawmakers approved more flights anyway - ‘We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,

THE deadly American Airlines crash follows a flurry of near-misses and smashes at Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport – including a 1982 crash that killed 78 people.

Senators from Virginia and Maryland said a near-miss at the D.C. airport in April should be a "bright red warning light flashing before Congress."

Deadly mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., reignites concerns over air traffic congestion and safety risks at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Lawmakers have an interest in boosting direct flights to their states because Reagan is closer to downtown than Dulles.

God forbid waking up and looking in a mirror one day and say, ‘Wow, I was warned. I was warned and I shouldn’t have done this,’” Kaine said in 2024.

The plan to add five incoming and five outgoing flights was included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act last year.

Political leaders had warned about the dangers of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. months before an American Airlines flight collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on its approach to the airport.

Before the additional flights were approved, a senator warned that the increase could heighten the risk of collisions.

RICHMOND, Va. ( WWBT /Gray News) - A retired pilot gave a first-hand view of what it’s like to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Chuck Smith says he has made that approach and landing hundreds of times in his career. He shared a video showing what it looks like to fly near Washington, D.C., and over the Potomac River.

Reagan airport faced warnings over its packed airspace for years. More flights were approved anyway - ‘We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,