FAA To Slow Arrivals at Washington Reagan National Airport

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:45 PM ET, Fri February 7, 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed for TravelPulse that it has made a decision to reduce flight arrivals at Washington Reagan National Airport in the wake of the deadly collision between a helicopter and an American Airlines plane last week.

In a statement obtained by TravelPulse this morning from the FAA, the government agency said it is "slowing traffic into and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport due to temporary runway closures for recovery efforts."

Multiple news outlets have also reported on the move, including Reuters and USA Today, which had additional details about this development.

According to Reuters there will be a reduction in flight arrivals at Reagan National Airport from a maximum of 28 per hour to 26 per hour.

The move comes on the heels of a Jan. 29 mid-air collision that killed 67 people. The incident involved an American Airlines regional provider, American Eagle Flight 5342, which was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The plane collided with a United States Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on Tuesday night.

Flight 5342 was attempting to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the two aircraft collided, causing a massive explosion.

Airlines were apparently informed of the FAA's new decision late Wednesday night of this week, according to Reuters. The slowdown of arrivals is expected to increase average delays at the airport from 40 minutes to about 50 minutes.

In an email sent to airlines, the FAA said investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board, “expressed concern for our tower personnel on duty, who have an increased level of stress while also having a front row view of the accident recovery.”

The decision to slow flight arrivals to 26 per hour, the email explained, would “reduce risk and allow a little space for extra coordination,” according to the Reuters report.

It is not yet known whether this reduction will require airlines to cancel any of their scheduled flights. It's also not clear how long the flight reductions will remain in effect, according to Reuters.

The FAA has already announced restrictions on helicopter flights around the airport since the deadly crash. They are expected to be in place until later this month. Additionally, two runways at the airport remain closed.

Further, the FAA advisory said that when police, medical or presidential transportation helicopters need to use the airspace, civilian planes will not be allowed to fly in the same area.

In related news, newly appointed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said rules that allowed air traffic control supervisors to scale back staffing prior to the deadly mid-air crash are now being reconsidered.