The DCA Safety Act should pass, but it is unlikely to advance this session of Congress. Here is an idea that would put accountability on the map.
Virginia’s two Senators have introduced a bill, S.5387, the DCA Safety Act, which proposes the reductions of the NUMBER OPERATIONS at Washington Reagan National Airport as reported in the attached POLITICO article. WHY??? The above, crude maps show that the already complex, congested airspace (center map) (i) easily accommodated the demands at DCA in 1966 (left, only approximate) (ii) while the current scheduled flights are stressing the controllers whose mission is to operate at the highest levels of safety.
Their neighboring Senators, Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen — have publicly opposed adding flights at DCA and strongly support the safety‑focused position taken by Virginia’s senators, by stating that the existing level of arrivals and departures are :
- “profoundly reckless”
- “gambling with the safety of everyone who uses this airport”
- “overburdening DCA”
The BILL is a comprehensive effort to reduce the numbers of flights that the DCA tower and The METRO TRACON are struggling to safely handle today. Here are the pertinent sections:
5387: DCA Air Safety Act
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the « DCA Air Safety Act.”
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The Bill’s provisions establish a thoughtful and well-designed structure to eliminate the stressful overload. CONGRESS, if it takes seriously its duty to serve all Americans and not
just the parochial interests, should quickly enact the DCA Safety Act.
The history of the limitations on and additions to Reagan National’s flights is worth reciting here:
That record includes an important indication of why S. 5387 may not be passed—the list of past sponsors who thought it APPROPRIATE to add 64 new flights to an already congested complex DCA airspace:
The Senators who sponsored the most recent exemptions (Sen. Cruz and Sen Cantwell) chair the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. SURPRISE!!! FLIGHTS to San Antonio, TX and Seattle, WA were added. THUS a prognosis that the leaders of the relevant committee and sponsors of the 2024 statute that led to more flights at DCA to their constituents MIGHT NOT MOVE THE BILL ANYTIME SOON!!!
If the congressional majorities flip in November, the VA and MD Democrats might draft legislation that amends the WAYPOINTS on the RUNWAY 19 VISUAL CHART to give credit to the Members who felt that their constituents’ needs were paramount-
A future REAGAN ADDITION TO AIRPORT MOVEMENT, Waypoint Individual Naming act (RAAM WIN) would mandate that the names of future sponsors of additional exemptions will be place named on the flight tracks as waypoints that guide flights to and from this congested airspace. Hopefully, their mandate of more flights will not recreate the past disasters on the Potomac!!!
LOOKING FOR A RIDE: SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA.) told Samuel he is eyeing a potential lame-duck aviation safety package or the yearly defense bill as possible vehicles for his legislation aimed at cutting daily flights and capping hourly operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Kaine, who is sponsoring his bill, S. 5387 , DCA Air Safety Act} with fellow Virginia Democratic SEN. MARK WARNER, told Samuel that “the prospects for action on [aviation safety legislation] is significant, and Senator Warner and I are going to do what we can to get our provision included.”
He said that if the House and Senate can resolve their differences on aviation safety legislation aimed at addressing the causes of last year’s deadly midair crash over Washington, the bill could ride in a package that is “overwhelmingly bipartisan” or “could potentially add it to a yearly bill like the NDAA,” referring to the National Defense Authorization Act.
Kaine said, “we can find some pretty good bipartisan agreement” on parts of the bill aimed at spreading takeoffs and arrivals evenly to reduce “stacking” and on limiting hourly arrivals at DCA.
He said cutting 30 slots from DCA by 2032 “is the heaviest lift piece of that bill, but we’re going to try to get as much in as we can.”
Case in point: “I don’t think it has a chance to pass,” Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Samuel when asked whether he plans to support Kaine’s bill. Cruz was instrumental in adding flights out of DCA in the 2024 FAA reauthorization bill. (Warner and Kaine had opposed the additional flights.)
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