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

Read the full article from Axios HERE