Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport {{Airport codes|DCA|KDCA}} in Arlington County, Virginia is the closest commercial airport to Washington, D.C.

History

Washington National Airport was built by the federal government on mudflats alongside the Potomac River at Gravelly Point, 7 km (4½ miles) south of Washington, D.C. It replaced Hoover Field, which was located near the present-day Pentagon and had a single runway intersected by a local street (guards had to stop automobile traffic during takeoffs and landings). National Airport opened on June 16, 1941. It served as a hub for Capital Airlines.

Related Topics:
Potomac River - Hoover Field - Pentagon - Automobile - June 16 - 1941 - Capital Airlines

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Though located in Virginia, much of the site had been underwater—in District of Columbia territory. A 1945 law established the airport as legally within Virginia but under the jurisdiction of Congress.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rapid growth in air traffic led to the construction of runway extensions in 1950 and 1955. The runway layout—limited due to the location and orientation of the airport—has otherwise changed little, except for the 1956 closure of a fourth, east-west runway now used for taxiing and aircraft parking. The terminal building was supplemented by the completion of the North Terminal in 1958; the two were connected in 1961.

Related Topics:
1950 - 1955 - 1956 - 1958 - 1961

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Despite the expansions, several efforts have been made to restrict the growth of the airport. Concerns about aviation noise led to the imposition of noise restrictions even before jet service began in 1966. Meanwhile, the advent of jet aircraft as well as traffic growth led Congress to pass the Washington Airport Act of 1950, which resulted in the opening of Dulles Airport in 1962. To control congestion and drive traffic to alternative airports, the Federal Aviation Administration to impose landing slot and perimeter restrictions on National and four other high-density airports in 1969.

Related Topics:
Aviation noise - Jet aircraft - 1962 - Federal Aviation Administration - 1969

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Service to the airport's dedicated Metro station began in 1977.

Related Topics:
Metro station - 1977

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the afternoon of January 13, 1982, following a period of exceptionally cold weather and a morning of blizzard conditions, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed after waiting forty-nine minutes on a taxiway and taking off with ice and snow on the wings. The Boeing 737 aircraft failed to gain altitude. Less than a mile from the end of the runway, the airplane struck the 14th Street Bridge complex, shearing the tops off vehicles stuck in traffic before plunging through the one-inch thick ice covering the Potomac River. Rescue responses were greatly hampered by the weather and traffic. Due to heroic actions initiated by a number of motorists, a United States Park Service police helicopter crew, and one of the plane's passengers who perished, 5 occupants of the downed plane survived. However, 74 persons who had been aboard the doomed airplane and 4 occupants of vehicles on the bridge died.

Related Topics:
January 13 - 1982 - Air Florida Flight 90 - Boeing 737 - 14th Street Bridge - Potomac River - United States Park Service

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The federal government relinquished control of National Airport as well as Dulles in 1987, when President Reagan signed a bill creating the independent Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Congress has continued to intervene in the management of the airports, however. On February 6, 1998, President Bill Clinton signed legislation changing the airport's name from National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, to honor the former president on his 87th birthday—a decision made without any input from area residents. Indeed, the Washington Metro system initially resisted renaming its station serving the airport, arguing that that the high cost of new signage was unnecessary and that the old signs were perfectly clear. Congress responded by threatening the system with budget cuts; Metro authorities backed down and renamed the station.

Related Topics:
1987 - Congress - February 6 - 1998 - Bill Clinton - Washington Metro

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Similarly, Senator John McCain of Arizona introduced legislation in 1999 to remove the 1250-mile perimeter restriction, infuriating local residents concerned about noise and traffic from increased service by larger, long-haul aircraft. McCain argued the move would improve competition, while critics charged he was supporting the interests of Phoenix, Arizona-based America West Airlines (AWA). In the end the restriction remained, but the FAA permitted to add additional exemptions, which went not to AWA but to competitor Alaska Airlines.

Related Topics:
Senator - John McCain - Arizona - 1999 - Phoenix, Arizona - America West Airlines - Alaska Airlines

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The airport underwent an extensive renovation and expansion in the 1990s, with the new terminals B and C opening on July 27, 1997.

Related Topics:
1990s - July 27 - 1997

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prior to the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, the airport had 792 scheduled commercial flights a day. After the attacks the airport was closed for several weeks, and additional security procedures remain in place for flights into and out of DCA.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~