S. Transportation Secretary Sean P.
Duffy announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is formalizing permanent restrictions for aircraft near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), unless these aircraft are conducting essential operations. These restrictions were put in place immediately following the American Airlines 5342 crash and supported by the NTSB's preliminary recommendations.
The FAA published an Interim Final Rule that will significantly reduce midair-collision risks and implement a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendation to prohibit certain helicopter operations when Runways 15 and 33 at DCA are in use. While the interim final rule goes into effect tomorrow, the public is invited to submit written comments, which the FAA will consider before issuing a final rule.
The restrictions were made permanent after the NTSB recommendations and were previously implemented as temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) around DCA. In October 2025, the FAA updated helicopter routes and zones at DCA, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI).
The Trump Administration has made a commitment to secure the skies over the nation's capital and ensure such a tragedy would never happen again. This decision is a key step toward ensuring these improvements remain permanent and continuing to work with the NTSB to prevent accidents like this from happening in the future.