Delays up, passenger traffic down at DCA following Jan. 29 crash, government layoffs

About four in 10 flights were delayed or canceled last month at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) as disruptions persisted in the wake of the deadliest U.S. commercial airline crash in more than two decades.

The Federal Aviation Administration continued to limit the number of planes arriving at the airport — the closest one to our nation's capital — in the interest of safety following the Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that claimed 67 lives.

Still, the air traffic limitations have fueled travel difficulties at the busy airport, DCA's governing body revealed this week.

Flight disruptions mounted at DCA

During the month of February, close to 34% of flights encountered delays arriving at DCA, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a new report. That's about three times more than last February.

Read more: Flight canceled or delayed? Here's what to do next

Close to 8% of flights headed to DCA were canceled last month, the MWAA said — up significantly from around 0.5% of flights axed during that same period last year.

The FAA began limiting air traffic at DCA immediately after the late-January crash, initially halting all flights and diverting planes to nearby Dulles International Airport (IAD) amid a large-scale investigation.

Then, as runways reopened in the ensuing days and weeks, the FAA maintained caps on the number of hourly flights that could land at DCA. For most of February, the number of flights that could land each hour was down by more than 10% from the normally allowed rate.

Adding to the disruptions: routine halts in air traffic due to helicopters in the area.

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Following the deadly collision, the FAA quickly implemented restrictions on helicopter traffic and said last week it would heed urgent safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board by closing off chopper routes near the airport and only allowing essential helicopter traffic.

Still, some helicopter flights — including Marine One transportation of President Donald Trump — are still allowed and frequently lead the agency to halt all flights at DCA, the MWAA noted.

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Delays have been less widespread in recent weeks, the MWAA reported. On Feb. 28, the FAA inched up the number of hourly arrivals allowed at the airport to nearly 95% of ordinary levels.

At the time of writing this story on the afternoon of March 20, about 12% of DCA-bound flights on the day's schedule had been delayed, according to FlightAware.

Travelers particularly concerned about encountering a flight delay could always consider flying out of IAD or nearby Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).

While both airports are farther from the center of Washington, D.C., IAD is accessible via the region's Metro transportation system. BWI travelers can connect to the airport on Amtrak via Union Station in D.C.

Situated along the Potomac River in Virginia, DCA is a popular regional airport. Several of the largest U.S. airlines have a sizable presence there — most notably American Airlines, which operates its mid-Atlantic hub at the airport.

DCA passenger traffic down

This week, airport officials also revealed a marked drop in passenger traffic in recent weeks.

The number of passengers that boarded flights at DCA last month was down about 12% to 13% versus last year, the MWAA said in its report this week.

Airport officials said this reduction in travel was due in large part to reduced government travel and economic concerns amid the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to the federal and contractor workforces.

Some of those concerns go beyond DCA.

U.S. airlines began to voice concerns about potential softness in travel demand last week. At least one major European carrier this week told TPG that it's seeing some hesitancy among travelers to vacation in the U.S.

The total number of passengers who transited through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints nationally in February 2025 was roughly even with that of February 2024, according to data reviewed by TPG. This trend differs from the 6% to 7% year-over-year surge we've become used to seeing since the coronavirus pandemic.

Bottom line

It's worth noting the recent increase in flight disruptions — and decrease in passenger traffic — at DCA comes as several airlines launched new transcontinental routes from the airport in the last month. Congress authorized these routes last year in a controversial move.

Those new routes included nonstop American Airlines service to San Antonio International Airport (SAT), Alaska Airlines service to San Diego International Airport (SAN), Southwest Airlines flights to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and Delta Air Lines service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

United Airlines was also set to launch a second daily nonstop flight to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as part of congressionally authorized exceptions to DCA's long-standing limits on long-distance flights.

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