NATA Leads Fight To Reopen Reagan National To Non-Scheduled Commercial Flights

It looks like progress. National Air Transportation Association (NATA) president James K. Coyne Friday said the association's efforts to re-open Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to non-scheduled commercial air carrier flights (charters) were beginning to show signs of success.  The centerpiece of the association's efforts is a petition filed with the Federal Aviation Administration on March 13, 2003, seeking a rulemaking to determine the conditions under which charter flights could once again use the airport.

A Bit Of Recent History

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, DCA was closed to all aircraft operations, scheduled and non-scheduled.  Gradually and as enhanced security requirements have been met, airline service has been restored at the airport to the point that DCA is operating at approximately 75 percent of its previous capacity for scheduled operations.  Non-scheduled operations, however, remain banned at the facility despite numerous requests to use existing or similar security practices currently followed by airlines.

"Re-opening National Airport to charter flights is one of the association's highest priorities," Coyne said in reviewing the organization's work to-date.  "With government security programs for charter aircraft making their security equivalent to the scheduled airlines, all that remains is for the additional measures necessary for operations at DCA to be applied to non-scheduled flights.  Many in Congress agree that it's time these steps were taken and the airport opened to operators who can comply with these more stringent requirements."

Support From Congress

Coyne said he has been meeting with aviation policy leaders on Capitol Hill and throughout the various government agencies which play a security role.  As a direct result of the association's efforts, numerous members of Congress have written President Bush to request exactly what NATA's petition seeks: A set of security and procedural rules for flying to and from DCA equivalent to those imposed on the airlines using that facility.

"When we began our efforts in March, we knew we had a tough fight ahead of us," Coyne said.  "I'm very gratified with the support we have received and the actions that have been taken.  In addition to the various communications from Congress to the administration, a provision in a House aviation security bill would mandate the same kind of rulemaking sought in our petition.  That's real progress, but we're not finished yet."

FMI: www.nata-online.org/2GovWatch/Archive/L.20030604.DCALetters.htm