By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -More than two dozen flights headed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were impacted on Friday by recent rules barring flights during presidential helicopter trips, flight tracking site Flightradar24 said.
After a January 29 collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration adopted new rules effectively barring flights to the busy airport just outside the nation’s capital when the Marine One helicopter is transporting the president.
Flightradar24 said 10 flights on Friday night were diverted to other airports and more than a dozen others were held during a 38-minute period without arrival flights.
Most flights were diverted to nearby Dulles International Airport, which, like Reagan National, is located in northern Virginia near Washington, while two were sent to Pittsburgh.
The FAA did not immediately comment on Friday.
Some airlines have told pilots to carry extra fuel because of the policy.
The FAA has indefinitely barred most helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport and is only allowing police, medical and presidential transport helicopters. The FAA has said those restrictions will continue at least until the National Transportation Safety Board issues a preliminary report on the recent collision, which is expected in March.
The Washington Post reported that on Feb. 14, a helicopter trip carrying President Donald Trump resulted in about 30 airliners bound for Reagan National having to circle for a period of time and at least nine aircraft being diverted to other airports. The policy also impacted flights on other days.
Reagan National is home to the single busiest runway in the United States, and served 26.3 million passengers in 2024, a new record.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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