Why Congress can add flights to D.C.'s busiest airport

Reagan National Airport is getting five new long-haul flights — thanks to Congress.

Why it matters: With recent near misses and warnings about more delays, you might wonder why Congress controls the airport in the first place.

The gist: Uniquely, Congress established National and Dulles International Airport, and later in 1987 delegated management to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

• And while MWAA was staunchly against adding more flights to National, Congress is the decider.

Catch up fast: Flights out of DCA are limited to a 1,250-mile radius , which restricts the number of nonstop routes to the West.

• Yes, but: Over the decades, Congress has made exceptions.

And while members of Congress from around the Beltway opposed the latest additions , a group led by Delta Airlines ultimately convinced out-of-town lawmakers that the airport could handle the new load.

• One reason: Members of Congress want direct flights back home.

State of play: The carriers applied for the following routes:

• American Airlines to San Antonio
• United Airlines to San Francisco
• Delta to Seattle
• Southwest to Las Vegas
• Alaska Airlines to San Diego
• Jet Blue to San Juan
• Frontier to San Juan
• Spirit to San Jose

The U.S. Transportation Department tells Axios a final decision is expected in a "timely manner" after the public comment deadline, which was Wednesday.

Reality check: But what about the worries over safety?

• Nationwide, "serious runway incidents" dropped by 64% in the first five months of 2024 compared to last year, an FAA spokesperson said.
• But the FAA spokesperson referred questions about National to the U.S. DOT.

A Transportation Department spokesperson declined to comment due to the pending slot decision.

• For its part, MWAA spokesperson Crystal Nosal told Axios that National already "operates at or near capacity for much of the day, with the busiest runway in America."
• "Delays and cancellations, already a concern, could be exacerbated by additional flights — especially during the busier hours," she wrote in an email, noting that the FAA requires "spacing between aircraft operations for safety reasons."

Between the lines: United Airlines had lobbied against new slots at Reagan National, but now is taking advantage of the chance to add a San Fransisco route.

• CEO Scott Kirby said a year ago that any changes had the "potential to create more congestion and delays."

The other side: There are three time blocks when National is underutilized, according to the Capital Access Alliance , the lobbying campaign in favor of the slots.