Steny H. Hoyer
04/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2024 17:40
National Capital Region Members Reiterate Opposition to Added Flights at DCA
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), and Members of the National Capital Region, including Reps. Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Don Beyer (VA-08), Rob Wittman (VA-01), Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), David Trone (MD-06), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) released the following statement in opposition to the latest FAA reauthorization bill that includes the addition of 5 new round-trip flights at DCA, the busiest runway in the country:
"National is home to the busiest runway in America. The airport is designed to serve 15 million passengers annually. Last year, it served 24 million. That is 9 million passengers, or 60 percent, over capacity. The airport has the third highest flight cancellation rate in the country, and one in every five flights is delayed by more than an hour. Just last week, two aircraft nearly collided in a frightening near-miss incident. Any additional flights that are added to DCA will worsen delays, exacerbate pilot and flight crew exhaustion, and risk the safety of flights in and out of National Airport. The House understood that when we resoundingly defeated an effort to add more flights last year. For the safety of all who fly in and out of our nation's capital, the Senate must change course. Safety, not convenience, must come first."
"National is home to the busiest runway in America. The airport is designed to serve 15 million passengers annually. Last year, it served 24 million. That is 9 million passengers, or 60 percent, over capacity. The airport has the third highest flight cancellation rate in the country, and one in every five flights is delayed by more than an hour. Just last week, two aircraft nearly collided in a frightening near-miss incident. Any additional flights that are added to DCA will worsen delays, exacerbate pilot and flight crew exhaustion, and risk the safety of flights in and out of National Airport. The House understood that when we resoundingly defeated an effort to add more flights last year. For the safety of all who fly in and out of our nation's capital, the Senate must change course. Safety, not convenience, must come first."