View source for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

{{Short description|Airport in Arlington, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C., United States}}
{{About|the airport|the metro station|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station|the baseball team|Washington Nationals|other uses|Washington Nationals (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Reagan National|other uses|Reagan National (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = Ronald Reagan Washington<br>National Airport
| ensign              = 
| ensign_size         = 
| ensign_alt          = 
| nativename          = 
| nativename-a        = 
| nativename-r        = 
| image               = Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport logo.svg
| image_size          = <!-- if less than 220 -->
| image_alt           = 
| caption             = 
| image2              = File:Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport overhead 2023.png
| image2_size         = <!-- if less than 220 -->
| image2_alt          = 
| caption2            = Reagan National in September 2023
| IATA                = DCA
| ICAO                = KDCA
| FAA                 = DCA
| TC                  = 
| LID                 = 
| GPS                 = 
| WMO                 = 72405
| type                = Public
| owner-oper          = 
| owner               = [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]]
| operator            = [[Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]]
| occupants           = [[Coast Guard Air Station Washington]]
| city-served         = [[Washington, D.C. metropolitan area|Washington, D.C. metropolitan area]]
| location            = [[Arlington County]], [[Virginia]], U.S.
| opened              = {{start date and age|1941|06|16}}<ref name="mwaa.com"/>
| closed              = <!-- {{end date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| passenger_services_ceased = <!-- {{end date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| hub                 = [[American Airlines]]
| focus_city          = <!-- If more than one airline, use {{Unbulleted list|Airline1|Airline2}} -->
| operating_base      = <!-- If more than one airline, use {{Unbulleted list|Airline1|Airline2}} -->
| built               = <!-- military airports -->
| used                = <!-- military airports -->
| commander           = <!-- military airports -->
| timezone            = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc                 = [[UTC−05:00]]
| summer              = EDT
| utcs                = [[UTC−04:00]]
| elevation-f         = 15
| elevation-m         = 5
| metric-elev         = yes
| coordinates         = {{coord|38|51|8|N|77|2|16|W|region:US-VA|display=inline,title}}
| website             = {{URL|https://flyreagan.com}}
| image_map           = DCA Airport diagram.pdf
| image_mapsize       = 180
| image_map_alt       = A map showing the terminals runways and other structures of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
| image_map_caption   = FAA airport diagram
| mapframe            = yes
| pushpin_map         = 
| pushpin_mapsize     = 
| pushpin_map_alt     = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| pushpin_relief      = 
| pushpin_image       = 
| pushpin_label       = '''DCA'''/KDCA/'''DCA'''
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_mark        = 
| pushpin_marksize    = 
| r1-number           = 01/19
| r1-length-f         = 7,169
| r1-length-m         = 2,185
| r1-surface          = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| r2-number           = 15/33
| r2-length-f         = 5,204
| r2-length-m         = 1,586
| r2-surface          = Asphalt
| r3-number           = 4/22
| r3-length-f         = 5,000
| r3-length-m         = 1,524
| r3-surface          = Asphalt
| h1-number           = 
| h1-length-f         = 
| h1-length-m         = 
| h1-surface          = <!-- up to h12 -->
| stat1-header        = Aircraft operations
| stat1-data          = 296,249
| stat2-header        = Total passengers
| stat2-data          = 26,290,722
| stat-year           = 2024
| footnotes           = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]],<ref name=FAA /> Passenger traffic<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mwaa.com/about/reagan-air-traffic-statistics|title=Reagan Air Traffic Statistics|newspaper=Mwaa.com|publisher=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority|date=January 2024|access-date=February 27, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090246/https://www.mwaa.com/about/reagan-air-traffic-statistics|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Infobox NRHP
| borderless                     = yes
| name                           = Washington National Airport<br />Terminal and South Hangar Line
| nrhp_type                      =
| designated_other1              = Virginia Landmarks Register
| designated_other1_date         = June 27, 1995<ref name="VLR list">{{cite web|title=Virginia Landmarks Register|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|access-date=May 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053819/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|archive-date=September 21, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
| designated_other1_number       = 000-0045
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| image                          = Reagan terminal A entrance 2013.jpg
| caption                        =
| built                          = {{Start date|1941}}, {{Years or months ago|1941}}
| architecture                   = [[Modern architecture|Modern]]
| added                          = September 12, 1997
| area                           = {{convert|861|acre}}<ref>{{FAA-airport|ID=DCA|use=PU|own=PU|site=03001.*A}}, effective November 28, 2024.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://skyvector.com/airport/DCA/Ronald-Reagan-Washington-Ntl-Airport|title=DCA airport data at skyvector.com|website=skyvector.com|access-date=September 3, 2022}}</ref>
| refnum                         = 97001111<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |refnum=97001111|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport''' {{airport codes|DCA|KDCA|DCA}} is a public airport in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], United States, {{convert|5|mi|km nmi|0|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=on}} from [[Washington, D.C.]] The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] and operated by the [[Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]] (MWAA) that serve the Washington metropolitan area; the other is [[Dulles International Airport]] (IAD), located about {{convert|25|mi|km nmi}} to the west in [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax]] and [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun]] counties.<ref name=FAA>{{FAA-airport|ID=DCA|use=PU|own=PU|site=03001.*A}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adip.faa.gov/agis/public/#/airportData/DCA|title=Airport Data and Information Portal | website=adip.faa.gov|access-date=January 2, 2020}}</ref>

The airport opened in 1941 and was originally named '''Washington National Airport'''. Part of the original terminal is still in use as Terminal 1. The much larger Terminal 2 opened in 1997. In 1998, [[United States Congress|Congress]] passed and President [[Bill Clinton]] signed a bill renaming the airport in honor of the 40th president of the United States, [[Ronald Reagan]], who was in office from 1981 to 1989.<ref name=ctsbll>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=15VGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2645%2C677640 |newspaper=The Day |location=New London, Connecticut |last=Kellman |first=Laurie |agency=Associated Press |title=Clinton to sign bill renaming National Airport for Reagan |date=February 5, 1998 |page=A3 |access-date=June 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521134530/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=15VGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YvgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2645,677640 |archive-date=May 21, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Reagan National serves 111 nonstop destinations {{as of|2025|7|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite news |title=NONSTOP DESTINATIONS |url=https://www.flyreagan.com/nonstop-destinations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250707001948/https://www.flyreagan.com/nonstop-destinations |archive-date=2025-07-07 |access-date=2025-08-24 |work=flyreagan.com |language=en}}</ref> It is a [[airline hub|hub]] for [[American Airlines]]. The airport hosts international flights, but has no immigration and customs facilities, restricting routes to those with U.S. Customs and Border Protection [[United States border preclearance|preclearance facilities]], primarily major airports in Canada and the [[Caribbean]]. Reagan National is also home to [[Coast Guard Air Station Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Air Station Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/All/Article/1894066/air-station-washington-dc/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=United States Coast Guard |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[List of the busiest airports in the United States|One of the 25 busiest airports in the U.S.]], the busiest airport in the [[Washington metropolitan area]], and the second busiest in the [[Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area]], the airport served 26.29 million passengers in 2024, an increase of 3.3% over a record set in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gazetteleader.com/fairfax/news/nvas-two-commercial-airports-top-50m-passengers-in-2023-8335264|title=Reagan National Airport Sets New Passenger Record In 2023, Dulles Airport Rebounds From 2022|website=gazetteleader.com|accessdate=February 21, 2024|archive-date=April 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420231427/https://www.gazetteleader.com/fairfax/news/nvas-two-commercial-airports-top-50m-passengers-in-2023-8335264|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://flyreagan.com/news/airports-authority-releases-passenger-totals-2024|title=DCA Airport Sets All-Time Record For Passengers Served|website=flyreagan.com|accessdate=February 27, 2025}}</ref> The airport's main runway is the busiest in the nation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=mwaa.com - Reagan National's Runway is Busiest in America |url=https://www.mwaa.com/news/reagan-nationals-runway-busiest-america |access-date=July 20, 2023 |website=www.mwaa.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 2025, the airport faced controversy over safety concerns following a spate of incidents.<ref name=safetyriskconcern>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-dc-plane-crash-update-today-ntsb/|title=Ban extended on helicopter route involved in deadly D.C. midair collision after NTSB warns of "serious safety risk"|first=Kerry|last=Breen|publisher=CBS News|date=March 11, 2025|accessdate=April 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name=fightandscrutiny>{{cite news |title=Reported fight in control tower at Reagan National Airport under investigation by FAA, man arrested |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dca-airport-fight-control-tower-reagan-national-faa-arrest/ |first1=Kris |last1=Van Cleave |first2=Ryan |last2=Sprouse |first3=Olivia |last3=Rinaldi |publisher=CBS News |date=April 1, 2025 |accessdate=April 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name=nearcollisionmarch2025>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/us/reagan-airport-air-traffic-controller-arrest/index.html|title=Air traffic controller arrested after ‘incident’ at Washington DC area control tower|first1=Pete|last1=Muntean|first2=Alexandra|last2=Skores|publisher=CNN|date=March 31, 2025|accessdate=April 1, 2025}}</ref>

==History==
===20th century===
The first airport in the area was [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]]'s [[Hoover Field]], which opened in 1926.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arlington's Flying Field is Dedicated |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 17, 1926 |page=20 |id={{ProQuest|149713699}} }}</ref> Near the present site of [[the Pentagon]], its single runway was crossed by a street; guards had to stop automobile traffic during takeoffs and landings. The following year, in 1927, Washington Airport, another privately operated field, began service next door.<ref name="mwaa.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/1277.htm |title=History |newspaper=Flyreagan.com |publisher=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |year=2011 |access-date=March 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105164047/http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/1277.htm |archive-date=January 5, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1930, the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] led the two terminals to merge to form [[Washington-Hoover Airport]]. Bordered on the east by [[U.S. Route 1]], with its accompanying high-tension electrical wires, and obstructed by a high smokestack on one approach and a dump nearby, the field was inadequate.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=McCarran Sees Death Peril in Local Airport: Says Major Disaster Has Been Prevented Here Only by Luck.|date=May 13, 1938}}</ref>
[[File:Drawing of proposed National Airport (3360757352).jpg|thumb|A 1935 drawing of the proposed site for the new airport, then known as Municipal Air Port]]
[[File:Washington National Airport 1941 LOC fsa.8a36232.jpg|thumb|The airport's main terminal in July 1941]]
[[File:Washington National Airport 1941 LOC fsa.8a36214.jpg|thumb|The airport's terminal in July 1941, seen from the apron with a taxiing [[Eastern Airlines]] [[Douglas DC-3]] in the foreground]]
[[File:Washington National (1944).jpg|thumb|The airport's terminal as seen from the airfield in 1944]]
[[File:Washington National Airport (1970).jpg|thumb|The airport in 1970]]
[[File:2016-03-18 16 41 48 View of Washington, DC from an airplane departing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with DAR Constitution Hall at the center.jpg|thumb|The [[National Mall]] and [[Downtown Washington, D.C.]], seen following a take off in March 2016]]
The need for a better airport was acknowledged in 37 studies conducted between 1926 and 1938,<ref name="mwaa.com" /> but a statute prohibited federal development of airports. When [[United States Congress|Congress]] lifted the prohibition in 1938, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] made a recess appropriation of $15 million to build National Airport by reallocating funds from other purposes. Construction of Washington National Airport began in 1940–1941 by a company led by [[John McShain]]. Congress challenged the legality of FDR's recess appropriation, but construction of the new airport continued.<ref name="feaver">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/airport/history.htm|title=Years of Deal-Making Enabled Change From 'Disgrace' to Showplace|date=July 16, 1997|first=Douglas B.|last=Feaver|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=December 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531121256/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/airport/history.htm|archive-date=May 31, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

The airport is located southwest of [[Washington, D.C.]], in the [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]] section of [[Arlington County, Virginia]], adjacent to [[National Landing]]. The western part of the airport was once within a large Virginia plantation, a remnant of which is now inside a historic site near the airport's Metrorail station.<ref>See [[Abingdon (plantation)]] for history.</ref> The eastern part of the airport was built in the District of Columbia on and near [[mudflat]]s in the tidal [[Potomac River]] near [[Gravelly Point]], about {{convert|4|smi|km}} from the [[United States Capitol]], using [[Land reclamation|landfill]] dredged from the [[Potomac River]].

The airport opened June 16, 1941, just before U.S. entry into [[World War II]].<ref name="mwaa.com" /> The public was entertained by displays of wartime equipment including a [[Akutan Zero|captured Japanese Zero]] war prize flown in with U.S. Navy colors.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=National Geographic|title=Wartime Washington |date=September 1943|author1=Nicholas, William H. |author2=Edwards, Walter Meayers |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> In 1945 Congress passed a law that established the airport was legally within Virginia, mainly for liquor sales taxation purposes, but under the [[jurisdiction]] of the federal government.<ref name="mwaa.com" /> On July 1 of that year the airport's [[weather station]] became the official point for D.C. weather observations and records by the [[National Weather Service]], in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/|title=Threaded Extremes|date=May 19, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519074347/http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/|archive-date=May 19, 2006}}</ref>

Until 1946, nonstop airline flights did not reach beyond [[New York City]], [[Detroit]], [[Cincinnati]], [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Atlanta]], and [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]. In 1946, [[Boston]], [[Chicago]], [[Dallas]], and [[Miami]] were added; nonstops reached [[Denver]] in 1951 and [[Los Angeles]] in 1954. The April 1957 ''[[Official Airline Guide]]'' shows 316 weekday departures: 95 [[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern]] (plus six per week to/from South America), 77 [[American Airlines|American]], 61 [[Capital Airlines (United States)|Capital]], 23 [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National]], 17 [[TWA]], 10 [[United Airlines|United]], 10 [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]], 6 [[Allegheny Airlines|Allegheny]], 6 [[Braniff]], 5 [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–89)|Piedmont]], 3 [[Northeast Airlines|Northeast]] and 3 [[Northwest Airlines|Northwest]]. Jet flights began in April 1966 (727-200s were not allowed until 1970).<ref>''Aviation Daily'' February 26, 1971, p314</ref> In 1974 the airport's key carriers were Eastern (20 destinations), United (14 destinations after subsuming Capital) and Allegheny (11 destinations).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/DCA74intro.html|title=DCA74intro|website=Departed Flights |access-date=October 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006013533/http://www.departedflights.com/DCA74intro.html|archive-date=October 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The grooving of runway 18–36 to improve traction when wet, in March 1967, was the first at a civil airport in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McGuire|first1=R.C.|title=Report on grooved runway experience at Washington National Airport |url=https://archive.org/details/nasa_techdoc_19690011108|website=Internet Archive|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|date=January 1, 1969|access-date=February 5, 2017}}</ref>

Service to the airport's [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station|Metro station]] began in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metwashairports.com/2455.htm |title=History of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport |publisher=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |year=2011 |access-date=March 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623094117/http://www.metwashairports.com/2455.htm |archive-date=June 23, 2011 }}</ref>

The Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line were listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1997.<ref name="nris" /><ref name="VAnom">{{cite web |url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Arlington/000-0045_W.National_Airport_Terminal_1997_Final_Nomination.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line |author1=Carol Hooper |author2=Elizabeth Lampl |author3=Judith Robinson |name-list-style=amp |date=April 1994 |access-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926201904/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Arlington/000-0045_W.National_Airport_Terminal_1997_Final_Nomination.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |url-status=live }} and [http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Arlington/Washington_Reagan_Airport.htm ''Accompanying photo''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001150304/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Arlington/Washington_Reagan_Airport.htm |date=October 1, 2016 }}</ref>

===Expansion and restrictions===
The runway layout has changed little since the 1956 closure of the east–west runway at the south end of the field. Changes to the terminal complex over the years include:
* Extension of the original Main Terminal (today's Terminal 1) to the south in 1950
* The construction of a North Terminal supplemented the original terminal in 1958; construction connected the two terminals in 1961.
* A United Airlines holdroom complex was built in 1965, a facility for American Airlines was completed in 1968, and a facility for Northwest Airlines and TWA (still in use today as the Terminal A concourse), along with a commuter terminal in 1970.<ref name="mwaa.com" />
* The Metrorail station serving the Airport opened in 1977.
* A major terminal expansion including a new air traffic control tower, officially called Terminals B/C, opened in 1997 giving the terminal its current configuration.
* Runways 18/36 and 03/21 were renumbered as 01/19 and 04/22 in 1999 as Earth's magnetic field drifted.<ref>https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/airport-runway-names-shift-magnetic-field |November 20, 2017; retrieved on July 6, 2018</ref>
* In March 2012 the main 01/19 runway was lengthened {{convert|300|ft}} to add Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliant runway safety runoff areas.<ref>[http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/3925.htm Runway Projects] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712154736/http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/3925.htm |date=July 12, 2012}}. Metwashairports.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.</ref>

Despite the expansions, efforts have been made to restrict the growth of the airport. The advent of jets and traffic growth led Congress to pass the Washington Airport Act of 1950, which led to the opening of [[Dulles International Airport]] in 1962. To reduce congestion and drive traffic to alternative airports, the [[FAA]] imposed perimeter restrictions on National when jets arrived in 1966, and [[landing slot|landing slots]] at DCA and four other high-density airports in 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title14-vol2/pdf/CFR-2014-title14-vol2-part93-subpartK.pdf|title=Code of Federal Regulations, Volume 2, Part 93, Subpart K|date=October 24, 1970|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|access-date=July 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728174247/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title14-vol2/pdf/CFR-2014-title14-vol2-part93-subpartK.pdf|archive-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The airport originally had no perimeter rule; from 1954 to 1960, piston-engine airliners flew nonstop to California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/aa58/aa58-03.jpg|title=American Airlines timetable, 1958|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055458/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/aa58/aa58-03.jpg|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/tw59/tw59-04.jpg|title=TWA timetable, 1959|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061224/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/tw59/tw59-04.jpg|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=November 25, 2012}}</ref> Scheduled jet airliners were not allowed until April 1966, and concerns about [[aviation noise]] led to noise restrictions even before jet service began in 1966.

The perimeter rule was implemented in January 1966 as a voluntary agreement by airlines, to get permission to use short-haul jets at National. Dulles was to continue to serve the long haul markets, limiting traffic and noise at National; the FAA assumed that ground level noise would be reduced because planes would take off light on fuel and be up and away quickly. The agreement limited jet flights to {{convert|650|smi|km nmi}}, with 7 grandfathered exceptions under {{convert|1000|smi|km nmi}}. The spirit of the agreement was regularly violated as flights left National to an airport within the perimeter and then immediately took off for a destination beyond it. Within a year there was a proposal to reduce the perimeter to {{convert|500|smi|km nmi}}, but it was widely opposed and never implemented. Overcrowding at National was later managed by the 1969 High Density Rule, thereby removing one of the justifications for the perimeter agreement.<ref name="Knickerbocker">{{cite web|url=http://www.caandc.org/natlhist1.html|title=The History of National Airport|last1=Knickerbocker|first1=Dr. Nancy Norgaard|website=Citizens for the Abatement of Aircraft Noise|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706152520/http://caandc.org/natlhist1.html|archive-date=July 6, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 1960s and 1970s, several attempts were made to codify the perimeter rule, but it was not until Dulles was endangered that it actually become a strict rule. In 1970 the FAA lifted the ban at National of the stretched Boeing 727-200, which resulted in a lawsuit by Virginians for Dulles who argued that the airport's jet traffic was a nuisance. That suit resulted in a Court of Appeals order to create an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In addition to the court order, there were economic problems at Dulles. Following the extension of [[Washington Metro|Metrorail]] to National in 1977, and [[airline deregulation]] in 1978, traffic at Dulles began to plummet while it increased at National. As part of a slate of efforts to protect Dulles, including removing landing fees and mobile lounge user charges, the FAA proposed regulations as part of the EIS to limit traffic at National and maintain Dulles's role as the area's airport for long-haul destinations. In 1980, the FAA proposed codifying the perimeter rule as part of a larger rulemaking effort. When the rule was announced, airlines challenged it in court; the Metropolitan Washington Airports Policy of 1981 codified the perimeter rule on an interim basis "to maintain the long-haul nonstop service at Dulles and BWI which otherwise would preempt shorter haul service at National." At the same time, the perimeter was extended to {{convert|1000|smi}} miles to remove the unfairness of having seven grandfathered cities. The perimeter rule was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 1982.<ref name="1981rule">{{cite journal|date=November 27, 1981|title=Metropolitan Washington Airports|url=https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/fedreg/fr046/fr046228/fr046228.pdf|journal=Federal Register|volume=46|issue=228|pages=58036–58037|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831042731/https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/fedreg/fr046/fr046228/fr046228.pdf|archive-date=August 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Knickerbocker" /> In 1986, as part of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act, which handed control of National over to the [[Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]], the perimeter was extended to {{convert|1250|smi|km nmi}} to allow nonstop flights to Houston with Dallas also being permitted to be served nonstop.<ref name="Knickerbocker" />

Slots at the airport have been traded in several instances. In 2011 [[US Airways]] acquired a number of [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]]'s slots at  Reagan National in exchange for Delta receiving a number of US Airways slots at [[LaGuardia Airport]] in New York. [[JetBlue]] paid $40 million to acquire eight slot pairs at auction in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-08-29/us-airways-washington-airport-prize-hobbles-amr-merger|title=US Airways' Washington Airport Prize Hobbles AMR Merger|date=August 29, 2013|website=Bloomberg|access-date=October 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013014436/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-08-29/us-airways-washington-airport-prize-hobbles-amr-merger|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> JetBlue and [[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]] acquired 12 and 27 US Airways slot pairs, respectively, in 2014 as part of a government-mandated divestiture following the merger of US Airways and American.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/01/30/jetblue-reagan-national-airport--slots/5055035/|title=JetBlue, Southwest gain slots at Reagan Airport|date=January 30, 2014|work=USA Today|access-date=October 12, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012220000/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/01/30/jetblue-reagan-national-airport--slots/5055035/|archive-date=October 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Transfer of control and renaming===
[[File:Boeing 737-3B7 USAir N360AU 7283623.jpg|thumb|A USAir Boeing 737-300 at DCA in 1986. This aircraft would later crash in 1991 as [[1991 Los Angeles runway collision|Flight 1493]]]]
In 1984, the Secretary of Transportation [[Elizabeth Dole]] appointed a commission to study transferring National and Dulles Airports from the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) to a local entity, which could use airport revenues to finance improvements.<ref name="feaver" /> The commission recommended that one multi-state agency administer both Dulles and National, over the alternative of having Virginia control Dulles and the [[District of Columbia]] control National.<ref name="feaver" /> In 1987 Congress, through legislation,<ref>"Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986", Public Law No. 99-500, Section 6001</ref> transferred control of the airport from the FAA to the new Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority with the Authority's decisions being subject to a Congressional review panel. The constitutionality of the review panel was later challenged in the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] and the Court has twice declared the oversight panel unconstitutional.<ref>METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY v. CITIZENS FOR THE ABATEMENT OF AIRCRAFT NOISE, INC., 501 U.S. 252 (1991).</ref> Even after this decision, however, Congress has continued to intervene in the management of the airports.<ref>This can be seen by Congress's continued use of legislation to limit the number of flights at National Airport, as well as expanding the perimeter and number of exemptions for flights outside that limit.</ref>

{{Infobox U.S. legislation
| shorttitle = 
| othershorttitles = 
| longtitle = An Act to rename the Washington National Airport located in the District of Columbia and Virginia as the "Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport".
| colloquialacronym = 
| nickname = 
| enacted by = 105th
| announced in = 
| effective date = February 6, 1998
| public law url = 
| cite public law = {{uspl|105|154}}
| cite statutes at large = {{usstat|112|3}}
| acts amended = 
| acts repealed = 
| title amended = [[Title 49 of the United States Code|Title 49—Transportation]]
| sections amended = {{usc|49|49103|49105}}<br>{{usc|49|49109}}<br>{{usc|49|49111}}
| leghisturl = 
| introducedin = Senate
| introducedbill = [https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/1575 S. 1575]
| introducedby = [[Paul Coverdell]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]–[[Georgia (U.S. state)|GA]])
| introduceddate = January 27, 1998
| passedbody1 = Senate
| passeddate1 = February 4, 1998
| passedvote1 = [https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1052/vote_105_2_00007.htm 76–22]
| passedbody2 = House
| passeddate2 = February 5, 1998
| passedvote2 = [[voice vote]]
| signedpresident = [[Bill Clinton]]
| signeddate = February 6, 1998
}}

On February 6, 1998, President [[Bill Clinton]] signed legislation<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d105:s.01575: |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720180224/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d105:s.01575: |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=Public Law No. 105-154, "To rename the Washington National Airport located in the District of Columbia and Virginia as the 'Ronald Reagan National Airport'" |date=January 27, 1998 }}</ref> changing the airport's name from Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, to honor the former president on his 87th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |title=It's Reagan Airport now |agency=Associated Press |date=February 7, 1998 |work=McCook Daily Gazette |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K6cgAAAAIBAJ&pg=4387,3903666 |access-date=November 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208034411/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K6cgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6WgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4387,3903666 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The legislation<ref name="srbrar">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CbsyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6744%2C4755927 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Bill renames Washington National Airport after Reagan |date=January 28, 1988 |page=A3 |access-date=June 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208082601/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CbsyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DPIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6744%2C4755927 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> was drafted against the wishes of MWAA officials and political leaders in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E5DA163DF937A35751C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 |title=G.O.P. Tries to Wrap Up an Airport for Reagan |work=The New York Times |date=February 4, 1998 |first=Lizette |last=Alvarez}}</ref><ref name="WaPoRename" /> Opponents of the renaming argued that a large federal office building had already been named for Reagan, the [[Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center]], and that the airport was already named for [[George Washington]], the first United States president.<ref name="WaPoRename">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/airport/overview5.htm|title=Congress Votes for Reagan Airport|date=February 5, 1998|page=A01|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=December 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531121214/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/airport/overview5.htm|archive-date=May 31, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

The bill stated that it did not require the expenditure of any funds to accomplish the name change; later, state, regional, and federal authorities were required to change highway and transit signs at their own additional expense as new signs were made.<ref name="deseret">{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/634405/Hansen-in-road-sign-rage-over-lack-of-Reagan-airport-markers.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317214322/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/634405/Hansen-in-road-sign-rage-over-lack-of-Reagan-airport-markers.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 17, 2014 |title=Hansen in road sign rage over lack of Reagan airport markers |date=June 7, 1998 |newspaper=Deseret News }}</ref><ref name="greatsoc">{{cite book |title=The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro |author=Zachary M. Schrag |publisher=JHU Press |year=2006 |page=258 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDQI-02wki0C&q=wmata+required+reagan+name+change+signs&pg=PA258|isbn=9780801889066 }}</ref>

===21st century===
In 2015, ''[[Express (Washington, D.C., newspaper)|The Express]]'' conducted an online survey asking people what they call "the airport in [[Northern Virginia]] that's not [[Dulles International Airport|Dulles]]". The results found that only 31% of people referred to the airport as "Reagan" and only 12% as "Reagan National", compared to 57% dropping the former president from the name.<ref name="Express">{{cite news |last1=Dingfelder |first1=Sadie |last2=Morris |first2=Holly J. |date=April 1, 2015 |title=National? Reagan? DCA? 17 years later, locals still can't agree on the name of the airport in question. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2015/04/01/national-reagan-dca-17-years-later-locals-still-cant-agree-on-the-name-of-the-airport-in-question/?postshare=4861427881116287 |access-date=October 26, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] Express |ref=Express}}</ref> Political preference was shown to have a direct correlation with how people called the airport, with 72% of Republicans referring to the airport using "Reagan," while 64% of Democrats call it "National" or "DCA."<ref name="Forbes">{{cite news |last1=Bender |first1=Andrew |date=April 2, 2015 |title=Washington's Never-Ending Controversy: What To Call Its Airport |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2015/04/02/washingtons-never-ending-controversy-what-to-call-its-airport/?sh=54187d6d2494 |access-date=October 20, 2016 |work=[[Forbes]] |ref=Forbes}}</ref>

====Concerns about air traffic risks and ongoing scrutiny====
On March 23, 2011, the air traffic control supervisor on duty reportedly fell asleep during the night shift. Two aircraft on approach to the airport were unable to contact anyone in the [[control tower]] and landed unassisted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eturbonews.com/21941/air-traffic-controller-sleeping-planes-land-without-help|title="Uncontrolled airport" situation at Washington National|date=March 25, 2011 |publisher=eTurboNews|access-date=March 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317233146/http://www.eturbonews.com/21941/air-traffic-controller-sleeping-planes-land-without-help|archive-date=March 17, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

On January 31, 2025, the [[FAA]] announced they would restrict helicopter flights from the airport following [[2025 Potomac River mid-air collision|a mid-air collision]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/investigators-seek-salvage-aircraft-after-deadly-washington-crash-2025-01-31/|title=FAA restricts helicopter flights near Washington airport in response to crash|first1=David|last1=Shepardson|first2=Jeff|last2=Mason|publisher=Reuters|date=January 31, 2025|accessdate=January 31, 2025}}</ref> two days prior. This had taken place over the [[Potomac River]] and involved American Eagle Flight No. 5342, which had arrived from Wichita, Kansas and was set to land at the airport, and a Sikorsky H-60 U.S. Army helicopter undergoing a training exercise, which had previously taken off from Reagan National Airport.<ref name=2009andmoredetails>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crash-reagan-national-airport-washington-dc/|title=What we know about the American Airlines plane and Army helicopter crash over D.C.'s Potomac River|first1=Faris|last1=Tanyos|first2=Emily Mae|last2=Czachor|first3=Jordan|last3=Freiman|publisher=CBS News|date=January 31, 2025|accessdate=January 31, 2025}}</ref> The incident was the first major U.S. commercial airliner crash since the [[Colgan Air Flight 3407|2009 crash near Buffalo, New York]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2025/01/30/american-airlines-plane-crash-washington-dc-flight-3407-nj/78048641007/|title=Last major commercial airliner plane crash before D.C. tragedy departed from Newark|first=Manahil|last=Ahmad|publisher=NorthJersey.com|date=January 30, 2025|accessdate=January 31, 2025}}</ref><ref name=2009andmoredetails /> Following the collision, it was noted the airport was also facing scrutiny related to other incidents causing concern over air traffic safety risks, including a May 29, 2024 incident that had involved two planes nearly colliding on the airport's runway, and an incident on January 28, 2025 that involved a jet being forced to abort its first landing attempt at the airport.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/01/30/dc-plane-crash-updates-helicopter-potomac-reagan-airport/|title=Day before D.C. plane crash, another jet had to abort first landing at Reagan National|newspaper=Washington Post|date=January 30, 2025|accessdate=January 31, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/31/crash-near-reagan-sparks-debate-over-air-traffic-risks-and-airport-expansion/|title=Crash near Reagan sparks debate over air traffic risks and airport expansion|first=Nathaniel|last=Cline|publisher=Kansas Reflector|date=January 31, 2025|accessdate=January 31, 2025}}</ref>

On March 11, 2025, U.S. Transportation Secretary [[Sean Duffy]] announced an extended ban on helicopters from flying on the route where the January 2025 collision took place while planes were launching from runway 15/33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.<ref name=safetyriskconcern /> As of April 1, 2025, the airport itself is still facing scrutiny over what led to this collision.<ref name=nearcollisionmarch2025 /> On March 28, 2025, another mid air collision between military aircraft and a plane from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport nearly took place when a U.S. Air Force jet, which was among other Air Force jets that were flying to the nearby Arlington National Cemetery, came close to colliding with a Delta Air Lines plane that was taking off from the airport.<ref name=march2025incident>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/close-call-between-delta-flight-air-force-jet-near-reagan-national/|title=Close call between Delta flight and Air Force jet near Reagan National under investigation|first=Jared|last=Ochacher|publisher=CBS News|date=March 29, 2025|accessdate=April 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name=nearcollisionmarch2025 /> The incident, which ultimately did not prevent the planes from landing at their intended destinations,<ref name=march2025incident /> occurred the day after an employee was arrested and placed on administrative leave after fight broke out in the airport's air traffic tower.<ref name=fightandscrutiny /><ref name=nearcollisionmarch2025 /> [[CBS News]] has described the situation at the air traffic tower as having been "increasingly tense" since January 2025, with scrutiny still ongoing.<ref name=fightandscrutiny /><ref name=nearcollisionmarch2025 />

On April 10, 2025, two American Eagle regional jets clipped wings while taxiing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Flight 5490, operated by PSA Airlines, struck the wing of Flight 4522, operated by Republic Airways. No injuries were reported. The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m., and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation into the event.<ref>{{cite news |title=Planes clip wings at Reagan National Airport, FAA says |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/10/dc-planes-clipped-wings-reagan-national-airport/ |work=The Washington Post |date=2025-04-10 |access-date=2025-04-10}}</ref>

===Construction of current terminal buildings===
[[File:DCA 12 2014 668.JPG|alt=|thumb|Terminal 2 in 2014]]
[[File:NewConcourse-RonaldReaganWashingtonNationalAirport.jpg|thumb|The airport with the [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]] section of [[Arlington County]] in the background]]
[[File:RonaldReaganWashingtonNationalAirport.jpg|thumb|[[Washington, D.C.]] (background), and tracks for the [[Washington Metro]] (left)]]
With the addition of more flights and limited space in the aging main terminal, the airport began an extensive renovation and expansion in the 1990s. Hangar 11 on the northern end of the airport was converted into The USAir Interim Terminal, designed by Joseph C. Giuliani, FAIA. Soon after an addition for Delta Air Lines was added in 1989 and was later converted to Authority offices. These projects allowed for the relocation of several gates in the main terminal until the new $450 million terminal complex became operational. On July 27, 1997, the new terminal complex, Terminal 2, and two parking garages, opened. [[Argentina|Argentine]] architect [[César Pelli]] designed the new terminals of the airport. The Interim Terminal closed immediately after its opening and was converted back into a hangar.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ggwash.org/view/42037/building-of-the-week-terminal-b-c-at-national-airport | last=Russell | first=Edward | title=Building of the Week: Terminal B/C at National airport | website=Greater Greater Washington | date=June 21, 2016|accessdate=February 22, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ggwash.org/view/62960/building-of-the-week-hangars-11-and-12-at-national-airport | last=Russell | first=Edward | title=Building of the Week: Hangars 11 and 12 at National Airport | website=Greater Greater Washington | date=April 10, 2017 |accessdate=February 22, 2025}}</ref> One pier of the main terminal (now widely known as Terminal A), which mainly housed American Airlines and [[Pan Am]], was demolished; the other pier, originally designed by Giuliani Associates Architects for Northwest and TWA remains operational today as gates A1–A9.

MWAA began construction of a new concourse north of Terminal 2 in February 2018 to accommodate 14 new regional jet gates with jetways, bringing the total number of gates at DCA to 60. This replaced "Gate 35X," a bus gate formerly used to bring passengers to and from [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] flights that used parking spots on the ramp. Officially called Project Journey, construction was completed on April 20, 2021.<ref name="Lazo"/><ref name="flyreagan.com"/> In addition, the individual security checkpoints for the four concourses in Terminal 2 were replaced with higher-capacity security checkpoints in two new buildings to the west of National Hall, located next to the two Metro station pedestrian bridges, and in between the two existing arrivals and departures roadways, placing all of National Hall within the secured area of the airport and allowing passengers to walk between concourses without re-clearing security.<ref name="Lazo"/> The new checkpoints were opened on November 9, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pascale |first1=Jordan |title=DCA Opens Its New TSA Security Halls On Nov. 9. Here's How Your Airport Experience Will Change |url=https://dcist.com/story/21/10/13/dcs-new-tsa-security-halls-november-9/ |access-date=March 16, 2023 |work=DCist |date=October 13, 2021 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004021432/https://dcist.com/story/21/10/13/dcs-new-tsa-security-halls-november-9/ |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A land bridge is planned that would connect the airport with National Landing directly to [[Amazon HQ2]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Warfield |first1=Marcel |last2=Nuyen |first2=Suzanne |date=November 13, 2018 |title=What is the new National Landing neighborhood for Amazon's HQ2? |url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/what-is-the-new-national-landing-neighborhood-for-amazons-hq2/65-614152523 |access-date=November 14, 2018 |quote=Commonwealth investing $195 million in infrastructure in the neighborhood, including improvements to the Crystal City and the Potomac Yard Metro stations; a pedestrian bridge connecting National Landing and Reagan National Airport; | website=WUSA 9}}</ref>

==Operations==
===Perimeter restrictions===
{{Airport destination list
| [[Alaska Airlines|Alaska]] | 12 slots operating as 2{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle/Tacoma]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Portland International Airport|Portland (OR)]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[San Diego International Airport|San Diego]]
| [[American Airlines|American]] | 14 slots operating as 3{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]], 2{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[McCarran International Airport|Las Vegas]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[San Antonio International Airport|San Antonio]]| [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]] | 6 slots operating as 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle/Tacoma]]
| [[Frontier Airlines|Frontier]] | 6 slots operating as 3{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Denver International Airport|Denver]]
| [[JetBlue]] | 2 slots operating as 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]]
| [[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]] | 4 slots operating as 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Austin–Bergstrom International Airport|Austin]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[McCarran International Airport|Las Vegas]]
| [[United Airlines|United]] | 6 slots operating as 2{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], 1{{nnbsp}}×{{nnbsp}}[[Denver International Airport|Denver]]}}

Washington National Airport is subject to a federally mandated perimeter limitation to keep it a short-haul airport and to keep most long-haul air traffic to [[Dulles International Airport]].<ref name="perimeter"/> The rule was implemented in 1966 and originally limited nonstop service to {{convert|650|smi}}, with some exceptions for previously existing service.<ref name="perimeter">{{Cite web|url=https://www.flyreagan.com/dca/dca-reagan-national-slot-perimeter-rules|title=DCA Reagan National - Slot & Perimeter Rules|date=July 17, 2015|website=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority}}</ref> [[United States Congress|Congress]] extended the limit in the 1980s to {{convert|1000|mi}} and then again to {{convert|1250|mi}}.<ref name="USAT21216">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/02/12/proposal-extend-dcas-perimeter-rule-withdrawn/80300348/|title=Proposal to extend DCA's 'perimeter rule' withdrawn|first=Ben|last=Mutzabaugh|website=USA Today}}</ref> Congress and the [[United States Department of Transportation]] have created many "beyond-perimeter" exceptions that have weakened the rule.<ref name="USAT21216"/>

Members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] repeatedly have sought to extend the limit and permit exceptions in order to allow nonstop service from National Airport to their home states and districts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1999-03-05-9903040602-story.html|title=3 SENATORS GAIN FROM AIRPORT BILL|first=ALAN SIPRESS The Washington|last=Post|website=Sun-Sentinel.com|date=March 5, 1999 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/02/11/house-member-withdraws-plan-to-expand-reagan-national-flights/|title=House member withdraws plan to expand flights at National airport|first=Ashley III|last= Halsey|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> In 1999, [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]] introduced legislation to remove the {{convert|1250|smi}} restriction.<ref>{{cite news |title= More Flights Unlikely Now At National |last= Sipress |first= Alan |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= November 11, 1999 |page= B1 |id= {{ProQuest|408563593}} }}</ref> In the end the restriction was not lifted, but in 2000 the FAA was permitted to add 24 exemptions, which went to [[Alaska Airlines]] for flights to [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]]. [[America West]] later obtained exemptions for non-stop flights to [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix]] in 2004. In May 2012, the DOT granted new exemptions for Alaska to serve [[Portland International Airport|Portland]], [[JetBlue]] to serve [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]], [[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]] to serve Austin and [[Virgin America]] to serve [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]]. [[American Airlines|American]], [[Delta Air Lines]], [[United Airlines|United]] and [[US Airways]] were also each allowed to exchange a pair of in-perimeter slots for an equal number of beyond-perimeter slots.<ref>[https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-selects-four-cities-receive-new-nonstop-service-ronald-reagan-washington-national DOT Selects Four Cities to Receive New Nonstop Service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | Department of Transportation] . Dot.gov (May 14, 2012). Retrieved on August 16, 2013.</ref>

In 2023, members of Congress from Texas, including [[United States Senate|Senators]] [[Ted Cruz]] and [[John Cornyn]], along with [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]]s [[Chip Roy]] and [[Greg Casar]], proposed softening the perimeter rules in an FAA reauthorization bill. The efforts were opposed by senators from Virginia and Maryland, along with American Airlines (which has a hub at Reagan) and United Airlines (which has a hub at Dulles), citing an FAA memo and statistics showing that Reagan has a high rate of delays and that additional flights may exceed its capacity.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morton |first1=Joseph |date=June 26, 2023 |title=Texans could see more direct flights, or more delays, from Washington National Airport fight |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2023/06/26/texans-could-see-more-direct-flights-or-more-delays-from-reagan-national-airport-fight/ |url-access=limited |access-date=June 26, 2023}}</ref> Controversy over the proposal held up the bill for a year.<ref>[https://skift.com/2024/05/20/airlines-scramble-for-extra-slots-at-reagan-national-airport/ Airlines Scramble for Extra Slots at Reagan National Airport]</ref> In 2024, a deal was reached to add five additional perimeter-exempt roundtrip slots to Reagan to the FAA authorization bill, which ultimately passed Congress and was signed by President [[Joe Biden]].<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4628813-faa-bill-adds-5-long-distance-flights-to-reagan-national-airport/ FAA bill adds 5 long-distance flights to Reagan National airport]</ref> After the bill was signed, airlines began applying for the new slots.<ref>[https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/southwest-airlines-washington-airport-las-vegas Southwest seeks new slot at Washington airport for nonstop Las Vegas flight]</ref> The U.S. Department of Transportation issued permits for new daily roundtrip destinations to Alaska Airlines for San Diego, which was previously served by US Airways; American Airlines for San Antonio, the second-largest market without an existing non-stop flight; Delta Air Lines for Seattle, as the second carrier on the route; Southwest for Las Vegas, as the second carrier on the route; and United Airlines for San Francisco, for an additional roundtrip to the city that it was already serving from Reagan.<ref>[https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/us-dot-awards-new-beyond-perimeter-slots-washington-reagan U.S. DOT Awards New Beyond-Perimeter Slots At Washington Reagan]</ref> Applications for the new slots from Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, and Spirit Airlines were rejected.<ref>[https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/san-antonio-gets-near-guarantee-to-fly-to-dc-19842128.php San Antonio may finally get a direct flight it has sought for decades. Here's when it could take off.]</ref>

=== Runways ===
[[File:2011 Collier Trophy Recipient, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and Collier Selection Committee.jpg|thumb|Boeing flew a [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|787-8 Dreamliner]] into DCA in 2011. It is one of the only [[wide-body aircraft]] to ever land at the airport.]]The airport has three intersecting runways: 01/19, 15/33, and 04/22. Runways 01/19 are {{Convert|7169|ft}} long. Runway 01 handles approximately 57% of arrivals and is primarily used during "north operations," when planes arrive from the south and depart to the north. Runway 19 accounts for about 38% of arrivals and is used during "south operations," when planes arrive from the north and depart to the south. During north operations, intermittent arrivals—around 4%—occur on Runway 33, depending on traffic demands and separation requirements. Runway 33 is typically limited to smaller aircraft due to its relatively short {{Convert|5204|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} surface.<ref name="NTSB Preliminary Report">{{Cite report |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/DCA25MA108%20Prelim.pdf |title=Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report |date=March 11, 2025 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |id=DCA25MA108 |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref> The {{Convert|5000|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} runways 04/22 are too short for commercial aircraft arrivals, but Runway 04 is occasionally used for commercial aircraft departures.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Approach patterns===
[[File:DCA River Visual.png|thumb|Many pilots regard the [[Potomac River]] approach pattern at National Airport as one of the most challenging landing approaches in the United States<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jethead.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/why-you-should-never-fly-into-washington-national-airport/ |title=Why you should NEVER fly into Washington National Airport |work=JetHead's Blog |date=December 24, 2011 |access-date=May 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426091241/http://jethead.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/why-you-should-never-fly-into-washington-national-airport/ |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Reagan National Airport has some of the strictest noise restrictions in the country.<ref name="strictest">{{cite web |url=http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/2544.htm |title=Aircraft Noise Procedures and Guidelines at Reagan National Airport |access-date=February 21, 2010 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807013007/http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/2544.htm |archive-date=August 7, 2011 }}</ref> In addition, due to security concerns, the areas surrounding the [[National Mall]] and [[U.S. Naval Observatory]] in central Washington are [[Airspace classes|prohibited airspace]] up to {{convert|18000|ft|m}}. Due to these restrictions, pilots approaching from the north are generally required to follow the path of the [[Potomac River]] and turn just before landing. This approach is known as the ''River Visual''. Similarly, flights taking off to the north are required to climb quickly and turn left.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=6297|title=Security-Restricted Airspace|date=December 13, 2005|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=July 15, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515184032/http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=6297|archive-date=May 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=eCFR-Code of Federal Regulations|publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]]|url=http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=a34480103c9ffb0f2f987b4e9dbe8e10&n=14y2.0.1.3.11&r=PART&ty=HTML#14:2.0.1.3.11.19|access-date=May 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506023618/http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=a34480103c9ffb0f2f987b4e9dbe8e10&n=14y2.0.1.3.11&r=PART&ty=HTML#14:2.0.1.3.11.19|archive-date=May 6, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The River Visual airport approach is only possible with a ceiling of at least {{convert|3500|ft|m}} and visibility of {{convert|3|smi|km}} or more.<ref name="Garrison1993">{{cite book|last=Garrison|first=Kevin|title=Congested Airspace: A Pilot's Guide (Command Decisions Ser.)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wHJd7_3wqEC&q=%22River+Visual+approach%22|year=1993|publisher=Belvoir Publications|location=Riverside, Conn|isbn=1-879620-13-8|page=157|access-date=November 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610111306/https://books.google.com/books?id=1wHJd7_3wqEC&q=%22River+Visual+approach%22&dq=%22River+Visual+approach%22|archive-date=June 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> There are lights on the [[Francis Scott Key Bridge (Washington)|Key Bridge]], [[Theodore Roosevelt Bridge]], [[Arlington Memorial Bridge]] and the [[George Mason Memorial Bridge]] to aid pilots following the river. Aircraft using the approach can be observed from various parks on the river's west bank. Passengers on the left side of an airplane can see the [[United States Capitol|Capitol]], the [[Washington Monument]], the [[Lincoln Memorial]], the [[Jefferson Memorial]], the [[World War II Memorial]], [[Georgetown University]], the [[National Mall]], portions of [[Downtown Washington, D.C.]] (including the roof of [[Capital One Arena]]), and the [[White House]]. Passengers on the right side can see [[Central Intelligence Agency]] [[George Bush Center for Intelligence|headquarters]], [[Arlington National Cemetery]], [[the Pentagon]], eastern [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]], including portions of [[Rosslyn, Virginia|Rosslyn]], [[Clarendon, Virginia|Clarendon]], [[Ballston, Virginia|Ballston]], [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]], and the [[United States Air Force Memorial]].

When the River Visual is not available due to visibility or winds, aircraft may fly an offset [[localizer]] or [[GPS]] approach to Runway 19 along a similar course (flying a direct approach course on instruments as far as Rosslyn, and then turning to align with the runway visually moments before touchdown). Most airliners are also capable of performing a [[VHF omnidirectional range|VOR]] or [[GPS]] approach to the shorter Runway 15/33. Northbound visual and ILS approaches to Runway 1 are also sometimes used; these approaches follow the Potomac River from the south and overfly the [[Woodrow Wilson Bridge]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KDCA|title=AirNav: KDCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|website=www.airnav.com|access-date=October 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006013552/http://www.airnav.com/airport/KDCA|archive-date=October 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Special security measures===
In 1938, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] issued [[List of executive actions by Franklin D. Roosevelt|Executive Order No. 7910]], creating the first restricted airspace around the District of Columbia. This would be superseded by a number of executive orders clarifying the boundaries of the airspace until 1966, when it was codified into [[Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations|Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations]], part 73. Title 14 created Prohibited Airspace 56 A and B (P-56A and P-56B). P-56A restricted flight around the National Mall, White House, and United States Capitol Building, while P-56B restricted flight in a half-mile radius from the center of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Only aircraft supporting the [[United States Secret Service]], [[Executive Office of the President of the United States|Office of the President]], or some government agencies are permitted within the prohibited airspace.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 12, 2022 |title=Amendment of Prohibited Area P-56; District of Columbia |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2011/02/18/2011-3666/amendment-of-prohibited-area-p-56-district-of-columbia |access-date=May 12, 2022 |website=Federal Register}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[September 11, 2001, attacks]], a [[Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area#Flight Restricted Zone|Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ)]] was put into effect. Extending {{convert|13|–|15|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} around the airport,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/93.335 |title=14 CFR § 93.335 |access-date=September 11, 2025}}</ref> only scheduled commercial flights and governmental flights are allowed into the zone without a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration. Charter flights for the U.S. government are permitted to land at the airport and [[Joint Base Andrews]] under certain conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 12, 2022 |title=Restricted Airspace |url=https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/restricted-airspace-0 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |website=Federal Aviation Administration}}</ref>

After the [[September 11 attacks]], the airport was closed for several weeks, and security was tightened when it reopened. Increased security measures included:
* A ban on aircraft with more than 156 seats (lifted on April{{nbsp}}27, 2002)<ref name="DCA restrictions">{{cite web|url=http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2002/press_release_0051.shtm|title=Secretary Mineta Announces Beginning of Security Screening Program; BWI First to Deploy Federal Screening Personnel|date=April 24, 2002|publisher=[[Transportation Security Administration]]|access-date=March 26, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070522103012/http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2002/press_release_0051.shtm|archive-date=May 22, 2007}}</ref>
* A ban on the "River Visual" approach (lifted on April{{nbsp}}27, 2002)<ref name="DCA restrictions" />
* A requirement that, 30 minutes prior to landing or following takeoff, passengers were required to remain seated; if anyone stood up, the aircraft was to be diverted to [[Dulles International Airport]] under military escort and the person standing would be detained and questioned by federal law enforcement officials (lifted in July 2005)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tsa.gov/news/releases/2005/07/14/tsa-suspends-30-minute-rule-reagan-national-airport|title=TSA Suspends 30-Minute Rule for Reagan National Airport|date=July 14, 2005|publisher=[[Transportation Security Administration]]|access-date=March 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923085511/https://www.tsa.gov/news/releases/2005/07/14/tsa-suspends-30-minute-rule-reagan-national-airport|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A ban on [[general aviation]] (lifted in October 2005, subject to the restrictions below)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2005/press_release_0627.shtm|title=TSA Opens Ronald Reagan Washington Airport to General Aviation Operations|date=October 18, 2005|publisher=[[Transportation Security Administration]]|access-date=March 26, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070522103025/http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2005/press_release_0627.shtm|archive-date=May 22, 2007}}</ref>
On October 18, 2005, National Airport was reopened to general aviation on a limited basis (48 operations per day) and under restrictions: passenger and crew manifests must be submitted to the [[Transportation Security Administration]] 24 hours in advance, and all planes must pass through one of roughly 70 "gateway airports"<ref>{{cite web |title=DASSP Gateway Locations |url=https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/202387/DASSP%20Gateway%20List%206-2-2020.pdf |access-date=July 20, 2020 |date=June 2, 2020}}</ref> where re-inspections of aircraft, passengers, and baggage take place. An armed security officer must be on board before departing a gateway airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/tsnm/general_aviation/dca_access.shtm|title=Restoration of General Aviation at Washington Reagan National Airport|publisher=[[Transportation Security Administration]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805163756/http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/tsnm/general_aviation/dca_access.shtm|archive-date=August 5, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=March 24, 2011}}</ref>

==Terminals and facilities==
[[File:Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Terminal BC.jpg|alt=|thumb|National Hall in Terminal 2]]
DCA has 59 gates with jetways: 9 gates in Terminal 1 and 50 gates in Terminal 2 (13 gates in Concourse B, 12 in Concourse  C, 11 in Concourse D, and 14 in Concourse E).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flyreagan.com/dca/terminal-map|title=Terminal Map|access-date=May 18, 2021}}</ref> The two terminals are not connected to each other post-security.
A new terminal and gate numbering scheme was implemented in 2022. Previously Terminal 1 was Terminal A, and Terminal 2 was Terminal B/C as it is one building. All gates also now have a letter, A through E for each of the five concourses. Therefore, Gate 33 became Gate C33. Other changes include B Parking and C Parking, becoming Parking 2 South and Parking 2 North.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dcist.com/story/22/05/31/dca-national-airport-renaming-terminals-gates/ |title=National Airport Is Renaming Gates And Terminals. Here's What Travelers Need To Know |access-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609084710/https://dcist.com/story/22/05/31/dca-national-airport-renaming-terminals-gates/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Terminal 1===
[[File:Interior of Terminal A in Reagan National Airport.jpg|upright=1.1|alt=From a store corridor, Terminal A's unique central design can be seen, in addition to several gates.|thumb|Gate area of Terminal 1]]
Designed by architect [[Charles M. Goodman]], terminal 1 opened in 1941 and was expanded in 1955 to accommodate more passengers and airlines. The exterior of this terminal has had its original architecture restored, with the airside façade restored in 2004 and the landside façade restored in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|url=http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/1277.htm|publisher=[[Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]]|access-date=August 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514150642/http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/1277.htm|archive-date=May 14, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The terminal underwent a $37 million renovation that modernized the airport's look by bringing in brighter lighting, more windows, and new flooring. The project was completed in 2014 along with a new expanded TSA security checkpoint.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reagan National's Terminal A is Getting $37M Facelift|first=Lori|last=Aratani|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/reagan-national-terminal-a-gets-37m-facelift/2013/08/27/5ff44076-f3e5-11e2-9434-60440856fadf_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 27, 2013|access-date=August 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828080041/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/reagan-national-terminal-a-gets-37m-facelift/2013/08/27/5ff44076-f3e5-11e2-9434-60440856fadf_story.html|archive-date=August 28, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, additional renovations were announced including new upgraded concessions and further structural improvements, the project was completed in 2015.<ref>MWAA Terminal A Renovation {{cite web |url=http://www.metwashairports.com/5983.htm |title=Terminal a Renovation |access-date=July 31, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702064525/http://metwashairports.com/5983.htm |archive-date=July 2, 2014 }}</ref> 

Terminal 1 contains gates A1–A9. It houses operations from [[Air Canada Express]], [[Frontier Airlines|Frontier]], and [[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]], with Southwest having the largest presence in Terminal 1.

A statue of Ronald Reagan outside of Terminal A was unveiled in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-01 |title=9-foot statue of Reagan to be unveiled at airport |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45116982 |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

===Terminal 2===
[[File:2016-03-18 15 44 34 Interior of Terminal B at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.jpg|alt=|thumb|Inside the departure area]]
Terminal 2 is the airport's newer and larger terminal; the terminal opened in 1997 and replaced a collection of airline-specific terminals built during the 1960s. The new terminal (Concourses B-D) was designed by architect [[Cesar Pelli]] and houses 35 gates. The terminal is directly connected to the [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (WMATA station)|WMATA airport station]] via indoor pedestrian bridges. Concourse E, which expanded Terminal 2, opened in 2021 as a replacement for Gate 35X, which was a bus gate.<ref name="Lazo">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/reagan-national-airport-rehab-project-will-create-some-pain-for-drivers-travelers/2018/02/17/95b4e9da-1015-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html|title=Reagan National's rehab project will create some pain for drivers and travelers|last=Lazo|first=Luz|date=February 17, 2018|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=March 5, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306082956/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/reagan-national-airport-rehab-project-will-create-some-pain-for-drivers-travelers/2018/02/17/95b4e9da-1015-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html|archive-date=March 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="flyreagan.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.flyreagan.com/dca/reagan-national-airport-opens-new-14-gate-concourse-0|title = Reagan National Airport Opens New 14-Gate Concourse}}</ref>

Terminal 2 has four concourses. Concourse B (Gates B10–B22) houses [[Alaska Airlines]], [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]], and [[United Airlines|United]]. Concourse C (Gates C23–C34) houses  [[American Airlines|American]] and [[JetBlue]]. Concourse D (Gates D35–D45) is exclusive to  [[American Airlines|American]] for their hub at DCA along with Concourse E (Gates E46–E59) that houses [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]  and [[American Airlines|American]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.flyreagan.com/sites/default/files/dca-terminal-02162018.pdf|title=DCA Terminal Map|website=flyreagan.com|access-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228041929/http://www.flyreagan.com/sites/default/files/dca-terminal-02162018.pdf|archive-date=February 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The corridor/hall connecting the four concourses of Terminal 2 is known as National Hall. 

===Lounges===
There are several [[airport lounge]]s at the airport. There are three [[American Airlines #Admirals Club|American Airlines Admirals Clubs]] in Terminal 2: one near gate C24 in Concourse C, one in Concourse D near gate D36, and one in Concourse E near gate E47. In Terminal 2, Concourse B, there is a [[Delta Air Lines #Delta Sky Club|Delta Sky Club]] near gate B15 and a [[United Club]] near gate B10.<ref>{{cite web |title=Airline Lounges |url=https://www.flyreagan.com/travel-information/services-amenities/airline-lounges |website=Reagan National Airport |publisher=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |access-date=March 16, 2023 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316232853/https://www.flyreagan.com/travel-information/services-amenities/airline-lounges |archive-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref> In Terminal 1, there is a [[United Service Organizations|USO]] lounge for retired and active military members pre-security. Originally scheduled for 2022, an [[American Express]] [[Centurion Lounge]] is in National Hall by the B Gates,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kheel |first1=Julian |title=Washington's Reagan National Airport to get new Amex Centurion Lounge |url=https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/travel/washington-reagan-national-airport-dca-amex-centurion-lounge |access-date=March 16, 2023 |work=CNN Underscored |date=February 17, 2021 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313041136/https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/travel/washington-reagan-national-airport-dca-amex-centurion-lounge |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> which opened on July 17, 2024. The [[Capital One]] Landing lounge, a collaboration with chef [[José Andrés]], opened in November 2024 in Terminal 2, Concourse D.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sachs |first1=Andrea |title=Capital One and José Andrés open lounge at Reagan Airport. We tried it. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/11/18/capital-one-landing-dca-review-jose-andres/ |access-date=November 24, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 18, 2024}}</ref>

===Ground transportation===
[[File:Washington DC August 2018 01 (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport).jpg|thumb|[[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station|Reagan National station]] of the [[Washington Metro]] connects the airport to the surrounding region via rail.]]
The [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station]] on the [[Washington Metro]], served by the [[Yellow Line (Washington Metro)|Yellow]] and [[Blue Line (Washington Metro)|Blue]] lines, is located on an elevated outdoor platform station adjacent to Terminal 2. Two elevated pedestrian walkways connect the station directly to the concourse levels of Terminal 2. An underground pedestrian walkway and shuttle services provide access to Terminal 1.<ref>{{cite web |title=Metrorail Station |url=https://www.flyreagan.com/parking-transportation/metrorail-station |website=Reagan National |publisher=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |access-date=March 16, 2023 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111012552/https://www.flyreagan.com/parking-transportation/metrorail-station |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located on the [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]], and connected to [[U.S. Route 1 (Virginia)|U.S. Route 1]] by the Airport Viaduct ([[State Route 233 (Virginia)|State Route 233]]). [[Interstate 395 (Virginia)|Interstate 395]] is just north of the airport, and is also accessible by the G.W. Parkway and U.S. Route 1.<ref>{{cite web|author=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority|url=https://mwaa.com/reagan/1281.htm|title=Directions to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|publisher=Reagan National Airport|year=2011|access-date=October 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025092037/http://www.mwaa.com/reagan/1281.htm|archive-date=October 25, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Airport-operated parking garage facilities as well as economy lots are available adjacent to or near the various airport terminals.

The airport is accessible by bicycle and foot from the [[Mount Vernon Trail]], as well as the sidewalk along the Airport Viaduct ([[State Route 233 (Virginia)|State Route 233]]), which connects the airport grounds to [[U.S. Route 1 (Virginia)|U.S. Route 1]]. A total of 48 bike parking spots are available across six separate bike racks. The airport has a [[Capital Bikeshare]] station,<ref>{{cite tweet|user=BikeArlington |number=1334222363156738048|title=The Capital Bikeshare station at National Airport is live! Traveling to the airport just got a whole lot easier.}}</ref> making this the first major airport in the United States to have a dock-based bikeshare station.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clabaugh |first1=Jeff |title=A US airport first: Shared bicycles at Reagan National |url=https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/12/a-us-airport-first-shared-bicycles-at-reagan-national/ |access-date=March 16, 2023 |work=WTOP News |date=December 3, 2020 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928021014/https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/12/a-us-airport-first-shared-bicycles-at-reagan-national/ |archive-date=September 28, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==
===Passenger===
<!-- Please use only independent sources. The airport and airlines itself are not independent sources. -->
{{Airport destination list
| 3rdcoltitle = Refs | 3rdcolunsortable=yes
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| {{nowrap|[[Air Canada Express]]}} | [[Montréal–Trudeau]],<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Montreal, QC, Canada YMQ|pages=768-771}}</ref> [[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport|Ottawa]],<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Ottawa, ON, Canada YOW|pages=876-876}}</ref> [[Toronto–Pearson]]<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Toronto, ON, Canada YTO|pages=1156-1162}}</ref> | <ref name="AirCanadaRoutes">{{cite web|title=Flight Schedules|url=https://beta.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/book/routes-and-partners/flight-schedules.html?acid=beta%7Credirect%7Caircanada.com%7CNoBar|access-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925064718/https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/book/routes-and-partners/flight-schedules.html?acid=beta%7Credirect%7Caircanada.com%7CNoBar|archive-date=September 25, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[Alaska Airlines]] | [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Portland International Airport|Portland (OR)]], [[San Diego International Airport|San Diego]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alaska Airlines selected to connect San Diego and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with nonstop service |url=https://news.alaskaair.com/company/alaska-airlines-selected-to-connect-san-dca-with-nonstop-service/ |access-date=December 23, 2024 }} </ref> [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], [[Seattle/Tacoma]] | <ref name="AlaskaRoutes">{{cite web|title=Flight Timetable|url=https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/timetables.aspx|access-date=January 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202123138/https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/timetables.aspx|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[American Airlines]] | [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], [[Chicago–O'Hare]], [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]], [[Southwest Florida International Airport|Fort Myers]], [[Bradley International Airport|Hartford]], [[Jacksonville International Airport|Jacksonville (FL)]], [[Harry Reid International Airport|Las Vegas]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Miami International Airport|Miami]], [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]], [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]], [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]], [[Portland International Jetport|Portland (ME)]], [[Raleigh–Durham International Airport|Raleigh/Durham]], [[San Antonio International Airport|San Antonio]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sa.gov/Directory/News/News-Releases/American-Airlines-Announces-Start-Date-for-New-Nonstop-Service-from-SAT-to-DCA|title=American Airlines Announces Start Date for New Nonstop Service|website=City of San Antonio|date=December 20, 2024|access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref> [[Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport|Sarasota]], [[Tampa International Airport|Tampa]], [[Palm Beach International Airport|West Palm Beach]] <br /> '''Seasonal:''' [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Bangor International Airport|Bangor]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Burlington International Airport|Burlington (VT)]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Charleston International Airport|Charleston (SC)]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport|Destin/Fort Walton Beach]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport|Fort Lauderdale]],{{cn|date=June 2025}} [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport|Halifax]],<ref>{{cite web|title=American A319 2H25 Network Additions – 15JUN25|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250617-aa2h25319|access-date=June 21, 2025}}</ref> [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Kansas City International Airport|Kansas City]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Nashville International Airport|Nashville]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Lynden Pindling International Airport|Nassau]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[New York–LaGuardia]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport|Providence]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport|St. Louis]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport|Syracuse]]{{cn|date=May 2025}} | <ref name=AmericanRoutes>{{cite web|title=Flight schedules and notifications|url=https://www.aa.com/travelInformation/flights/schedule|access-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202010611/https://www.aa.com/travelInformation/flights/schedule|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] | [[Akron–Canton Airport|Akron/Canton]], [[Albany International Airport|Albany (NY)]], [[Asheville Regional Airport|Asheville]], [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[Augusta Regional Airport|Augusta (GA)]], [[Bangor International Airport|Bangor]], [[Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport|Baton Rouge]], [[Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport|Birmingham (AL)]], [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Buffalo Niagara International Airport|Buffalo]], [[Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport|Burlington (VT)]], [[Eastern Iowa Airport|Cedar Rapids/Iowa City]], [[Charleston International Airport|Charleston (SC)]], [[Yeager Airport|Charleston (WV)]], [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], [[Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport|Chattanooga]], [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]], [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]], [[Columbia Metropolitan Airport|Columbia (SC)]], [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport|Columbus–Glenn]], [[Dayton International Airport|Dayton]], [[Des Moines International Airport|Des Moines]], [[Detroit Metropolitan Airport|Detroit]], [[Northwest Arkansas National Airport|Fayetteville/Bentonville]], [[Gerald R. Ford International Airport|Grand Rapids]], [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro]], [[Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport|Greenville/Spartanburg]], [[Bradley International Airport|Hartford]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://airlinegeeks.com/2025/05/03/american-adds-six-routes/|title= American Adds Six Routes|website=AirlineGeeks|date=May 3, 2025|access-date=May 5, 2025}}</ref> [[Huntsville International Airport|Huntsville]], [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis]], [[Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport|Jackson (MS)]], [[Jacksonville International Airport|Jacksonville (FL)]], [[Kansas City International Airport|Kansas City]], [[Key West International Airport|Key West]], [[McGhee Tyson Airport|Knoxville]], [[Capital Region International Airport|Lansing]], [[Clinton National Airport|Little Rock]], [[Louisville International Airport|Louisville]], [[Dane County Regional Airport|Madison]], [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport|Manchester (NH)]], [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]], [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport|Milwaukee]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/american-airlines-non-stop-flights-from-milwaukee-to-washington-dc-starting-oct-5-2023 | title=American Airlines non-stop flights from Milwaukee to Washington, DC starting Oct. 5, 2023 | date=June 19, 2023 }}</ref> [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis/St. Paul]], [[Montgomery Regional Airport|Montgomery]], [[Myrtle Beach International Airport|Myrtle Beach]], [[Nashville International Airport|Nashville]], [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]], [[New York–JFK]], [[New York–LaGuardia]], [[Norfolk International Airport|Norfolk]], [[OKC Will Rogers International Airport|Oklahoma City]], [[Pensacola International Airport|Pensacola]], [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]], [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]], [[Portland International Jetport|Portland (ME)]], [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport|Providence]], [[Raleigh–Durham International Airport|Raleigh/Durham]], [[Greater Rochester International Airport|Rochester (NY)]], [[Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport|Savannah]], [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport|St. Louis]], [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport|Syracuse]], [[Tallahassee International Airport|Tallahassee]], [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]], [[Tulsa International Airport|Tulsa]], [[Westchester County Airport|White Plains]], [[Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport|Wichita]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Wichita gets non-stop flights to Washington, D.C. |url= https://www.ksn.com/news/local/wichita-gets-non-stop-flights-to-washington-d-c/amp/ |website=KSN-TV |date= July 14, 2023 |access-date=July 15, 2023}}</ref> [[Wilmington International Airport|Wilmington (NC)]] <br /> '''Seasonal:'''  [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport|Halifax]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Hilton Head Airport|Hilton Head]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Cape Cod Gateway Airport|Hyannis]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Martha's Vineyard Airport|Martha's Vineyard]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Nantucket Memorial Airport|Nantucket]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Lynden Pindling International Airport|Nassau]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport|Panama City (FL)]],{{cn|date=May 2025}}  [[Cherry Capital Airport|Traverse City]]{{cn|date=May 2025}} | <ref name=AmericanRoutes/>
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| [[Delta Air Lines]] | [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[Detroit Metropolitan Airport|Detroit]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Miami International Airport|Miami]], [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis/St. Paul]], [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]], [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]], [[Seattle/Tacoma]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.delta.com/delta-launches-nonstop-washington-dc-seattle-service-march-2025|title=Delta launches nonstop Washington D.C. to Seattle service March 2025|website=Delta News Hub|date=December 19, 2024|access-date=December 19, 2024}}</ref> | <ref name="DeltaRoutes">{{cite web|title=FLIGHT SCHEDULES|url=https://www.delta.com/flightinfo/viewFlightSchedulesSetup.action|access-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621123636/http://www.delta.com/flightinfo/viewFlightSchedulesSetup.action|archive-date=June 21, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[Delta Connection]] | [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]], [[Blue Grass Airport|Lexington]], [[Dane County Regional Airport|Madison]], [[Nashville International Airport|Nashville]], [[New York–JFK]], [[New York–LaGuardia]], [[Eppley Airfield|Omaha]], [[Raleigh–Durham International Airport|Raleigh/Durham]] | <ref name="DeltaRoutes"/>
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| [[Frontier Airlines]] | [[Denver International Airport|Denver]] | <ref name="FrontierRoutes">{{cite web|title=Frontier|url=https://www.flyfrontier.com|access-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912053526/https://www.flyfrontier.com/|archive-date=September 12, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[JetBlue]] | [[Logan International Airport|Boston]],  [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International|Fort Lauderdale]], [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]],<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250115533992/en/JetBlue-Enhances-Summer-Travel-with-New-Routes-and-Destinations-Strengthening-its-East-Coast-Network | title=JetBlue Enhances Summer Travel with New Routes and Destinations, Strengthening its East Coast Network |website=Business Wire | date=January 15, 2025 }}</ref> [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]], [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]], [[Palm Beach International Airport|West Palm Beach]]<br />'''Seasonal:''' [[Martha's Vineyard Airport|Martha's Vineyard]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Nantucket Memorial Airport|Nantucket]]{{cn|date=May 2025}} | <ref name="JetBlueRoutes">{{cite web|title=JetBlue Airlines Timetable|url=https://b6.innosked.com/(S(ke2am3wxgiegj0zs1pxotirq))/default.aspx|access-date=January 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713064749/http://b6.innosked.com/(S(52udsaj2thvywnmtihsndo55))/default.aspx|archive-date=July 13, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[Southwest Airlines]] | [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[Austin–Bergstrom International Airport|Austin]], [[Chicago–Midway]], [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport|Columbus–Glenn]], [[Dallas Love Field|Dallas–Love]], [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport|Fort Lauderdale]], [[William P. Hobby Airport|Houston–Hobby]], [[Kansas City International Airport|Kansas City]], [[Harry Reid International Airport|Las Vegas]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/tourism/southwest-to-begin-selling-tickets-to-this-restricted-airport-3252364/|title=Southwest to begin selling tickets to this restricted airport|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=December 19, 2024|access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref> [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport|Milwaukee]], [[Nashville International Airport|Nashville]], [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]], [[OKC Will Rogers International Airport|Oklahoma City]], [[Eppley Airfield|Omaha]], [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]], [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport|Providence]], [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport|St. Louis]], [[Tampa International Airport|Tampa]] <br />'''Seasonal:''' [[Albany International Airport|Albany (NY)]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Southwest Florida International Airport|Fort Myers]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]],{{cn|date=May 2025}} [[Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport|Sarasota]]{{cn|date=May 2025}} | <ref name="SouthwestRoutes">{{cite web|title=Check Flight Schedules|url=https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html|access-date=June 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202053931/https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[United Airlines]] | [[Chicago–O'Hare]], [[Denver International Airport|Denver]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]], [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]] | <ref name="UnitedRoutes">{{cite web|title=Timetable|url=https://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/travel/timetable/default.aspx|access-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128165254/https://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/travel/timetable/default.aspx|archive-date=January 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| [[United Express]] | [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] | <ref name="UnitedRoutes"/>
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}}

==Statistics==
===Top destinations===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%" width= align=
|+ Busiest domestic routes from DCA<!-- BTS DATA IS ONLY FOR DESTINATIONS; THIS IS NOT "TO AND FROM" --> (Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024)<ref name="transtats.bts.gov">{{cite web |title=Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)|url=https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?20=E&Nv42146=QPN&Nv42146_anzr=jn5uv0t610,%20QP:%20e10nyq%20erntn0%20jn5uv0t610%20an6v10ny&pn44vr4=SNPgf|publisher=[[Bureau of Transportation Statistics]]|access-date=March 25, 2025}}</ref>
|-
! Rank
! Airport
! Passengers
! Carriers
|-
| {{0}}1
| {{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta, Georgia]]
| 790,000
| American, Delta, Southwest
|-
| {{0}}2
| {{flagicon|Massachusetts}} [[Logan International Airport|Boston, Massachusetts]]
| 782,000
| American, Delta, JetBlue
|-
| {{0}}3
| {{flagicon|Illinois}} [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois]]
| 688,000
| American, United
|-
| {{0}}4
| {{flagicon|Florida}} [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando, Florida]]
| 540,000
| American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest
|-
| {{0}}5
| {{flagicon|Florida}} [[Miami International Airport|Miami, Florida]]
| 533,000
| American, Delta
|-
| {{0}}6
| {{flagicon|Texas}} [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas]]
| 478,000
| American
|-
| {{0}}7
| {{flagicon|North Carolina}} [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte, North Carolina]]
| 347,000
| American
|-
| {{0}}8
| {{flagicon|Florida}} [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport|Fort Lauderdale, Florida]]
| 299,000
| American, JetBlue, Southwest
|-
| {{0}}9
| {{flagicon|Tennessee}} [[Nashville International Airport|Nashville, Tennessee]]
| 298,000
| American, Delta, Southwest
|-
| 10
| {{flagicon|New York (state)}} [[LaGuardia Airport|New York–LaGuardia, New York]]
| 297,000
| American, Delta
|- 
|}

===Airline market share===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%" width= align=
|+ Largest airlines at DCA (Nov 1, 2023 – Oct 31, 2024)<ref>{{cite web |title=Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) |url=https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?20=E |website=www.transtats.bts.gov |publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics |access-date=January 30, 2025}}</ref>
|-
!Rank
!Airline
!Passengers
!Market share
|-
|{{0}}1
|[[American Airlines]]
|6,860,000
|27.50%
|-
|{{0}}2
|[[Southwest Airlines]]
|3,692,000
|14.80%
|-
|{{0}}3
|[[Delta Air Lines]]
|2,397,000
|{{0}}9.61%
|-
|{{0}}4
|[[JetBlue]]
|1,750,000
|{{0}}7.02%
|-
|{{0}}5
|[[United Airlines]]
|1,482,000
|{{0}}5.94%
|-
|
|''other''
|8,760,000
|35.12%
|}

===Annual traffic===
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=DCA}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Annual passenger traffic at DCA, 1991–present<ref name="metwashairports.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.mwaa.com/about/reagan-air-traffic-statistics|title=Reagan Air Traffic Statistics|access-date=February 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090246/https://www.mwaa.com/about/reagan-air-traffic-statistics|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
! Year
! Passengers
! Year
! Passengers
! Year
! Passengers
! Year
! Passengers
|-
| 2000 ||15,888,199 ||2010|| 18,118,713 ||2020|| 7,574,966 ||2030||
|-
| 1999||15,185,348 ||2009|| 17,577,359 ||2019|| 23,945,527 ||2029||
|-
| 1998||15,970,306 ||2008|| 18,028,287 ||2018|| 23,464,618 ||2028||
|-
| 1997||15,907,006 ||2007|| 18,679,343 ||2017|| 23,903,248 ||2027|| 
|-
| 1996|| 15,226,500 ||2006|| 18,550,785 ||2016|| 23,595,006 ||2026||
|-
| 1995|| 15,506,244 ||2005|| 17,847,884 ||2015|| 23,039,429 ||2025||
|-
| 1994|| 15,700,825 ||2004|| 15,944,542 ||2014|| 20,810,387 ||2024||'''26,290,722'''
|-
| 1993|| 16,307,808 ||2003|| 14,223,123 ||2013|| 20,415,085 ||2023|| 25,453,581
|-
| 1992|| 15,593,535 ||2002|| 12,881,601 ||2012|| 19,655,440  ||2022|| 23,961,442
|-
| 1991|| 15,098,697 ||2001|| 13,265,387 ||2011|| 18,823,094 ||2021|| 14,044,724 
|}

==Abingdon plantation historical site==
A part of the airport is located on the former site of the 18th and 19th century [[Abingdon (plantation)|Abingdon plantation]], which was associated with the prominent Alexander, Custis, Stuart, and Hunter families.<ref>{{cite book|last=Templeman|first=Eleanor Lee|title=Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County|publisher=Avenel Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc.|place=New York|year=1959|pages=12–13|isbn=978-0-517-16709-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FBQ8AAAAMAAJ|access-date=November 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428174003/https://books.google.com/books?id=FBQ8AAAAMAAJ|archive-date=April 28, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, MWAA opened a historical display around the restored remnants of two Abingdon buildings and placed [[artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] collected from the site in an exhibit hall in Terminal A.<ref name=Abingdon>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120051853/http://www.metwashairports.com/news_publications/newsroom/press_releases/1998/historic_site_at_airport|url=http://www.metwashairports.com/news_publications/newsroom/press_releases/1998/historic_site_at_airport|archive-date=November 20, 2008|title=Historic Site At Airport Open to Travelers And Public |date=November 12, 1998 |access-date=March 4, 2008 |author=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority|author-link=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Sipress|first=Alan|title=At National Airport, A Historic Destination|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/35869785.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+11%2C+1998&author=Alan+Sipress&desc=At+National+Airport%2C+A+Historic+Destination%3B+On+Acre+Nestled+Between+Parking+Garages+Are+Restored+Ruins+of+Colonial+Plantation|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|place=Washington, D.C.|date=November 11, 1998|pages=B1, B7|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315144347/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/35869785.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+11%2C+1998&author=Alan+Sipress&desc=At+National+Airport%2C+A+Historic+Destination%3B+On+Acre+Nestled+Between+Parking+Garages+Are+Restored+Ruins+of+Colonial+Plantation|archive-date=March 15, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Abingdon site is located on a knoll between parking Garage A and Garage B/C, near the south end of the [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station]].<ref name=Abingdon/><ref name=map>{{cite web|url=http://www.metwashairports.com/image/dca_parking_map.jpg|title=Parking Map|work=DCA Terminal Map|publisher=Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority|date=June 2011|access-date=June 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322000805/http://metwashairports.com/image/dca_parking_map.jpg|archive-date=March 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Cressey>{{cite book|last=Cressey|first=Pamela J.|title=Walk and Bike the Alexandria Heritage Trail: A Guide to Exploring a Virginia Town's Hidden Past|publisher=Capital Books|pages=16–17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E--KzyINwCMC|year=2002|isbn=1-892123-89-4|access-date=June 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104140939/http://books.google.com/books?id=E--KzyINwCMC|archive-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Coordinates of Abingdon Plantation historical site: {{Coord|38|51|4.8|N|77|2|40.2|W|scale:5000|name=Abingdon Plantation historical site}}</ref>

==Accidents and incidents==
===Page Airways===
On April 27, 1945, a Page Airways [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar]] on a charter flight<ref name="SPT">{{cite news |title=Two Persons Die in Plane Crash |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QFAwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xk4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6223%2C5460120 |access-date=June 4, 2023 |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |date=April 28, 1945 |page=3}}</ref> crashed into a deep ditch at the end of runway 33 after aborting a takeoff due to engine failure. There were strong gusts and ground turbulence at the time. Out of the 13 passengers and crew on board, six passengers were killed.<ref name="ASN">{{ASN accident|id = 19450427-0|title = NC33328|access-date = April 11, 2019}}</ref> Although a contemporary newspaper report indicated that the flight's intended destination had been [[Rochester, New York]],<ref name="SPT"/> the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]]'s accident investigation report stated that the destination had been [[New York, N.Y.]]<ref name="ASN"/>

===TWA Flight 955===

On March 29, 1946, a TWA [[Lockheed Constellation|Lockheed L-049 Constellation]] touched down at high speed with the flaps still extending, striking a concrete transformer house after overrunning the end of the runway. All 12 passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was destroyed and written off.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/337357|title=Accident description for NC86510 at Aviation Safety Network|website=asn.flightsafety.org|accessdate= January 31, 2025}}</ref>

===Eastern Air Lines Flight 537===
{{Main|Eastern Air Lines Flight 537}}

On November 1, 1949, a mid-air collision between an Eastern Air Lines passenger aircraft and a [[P-38 Lightning]] military plane killed all 55 people aboard the passenger aircraft. The sole survivor was the Bolivian pilot of the fighter plane, Erick Rios Bridoux.<ref>{{cite web|title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19491101-0|access-date=October 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021230924/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19491101-0|archive-date=October 21, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bridoux's plane had taken off from National just 10 minutes earlier and was in contact with the tower during a brief test flight. The Eastern Air Lines DC-4 was on approach from the south when the nimble and much faster P-38 banked and plunged right into the passenger plane. Both aircraft fell into the [[Potomac River]].

===Capital Airlines Flight 500===
On December 12, 1949, [[Capital Airlines (United States)|Capital Airlines]] Flight 500, a Douglas DC-3, stalled and crashed into the Potomac River while on approach to Washington National. 6 of the 23 passengers and crew on board were killed.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19491212-0|access-date=February 20, 2022|title=NC25691}}</ref>

===Air Florida Flight 90===
{{Main|Air Florida Flight 90}}
[[File:Air Florida Flight 90 tail section recovery.jpg|thumb|The tail of Air Florida Flight 90 being raised from the [[Potomac River]] following its January 13, 1982, crash]]
On the afternoon of January 13, 1982,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=We're Going Down, Larry |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 15, 1982 |volume=119 |issue=7 |page=21 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925270,00.html |access-date=March 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122153544/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925270,00.html |archive-date=January 22, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> following a period of exceptionally cold weather and a morning of blizzard conditions, Air Florida Flight 90 took off after waiting 49 minutes on a taxiway, during which ice and snow built up on the wings. The [[Boeing 737]] aircraft failed to gain altitude, and less than {{convert|1|smi|km}} from the end of the runway the airplane struck the [[14th Street Bridge (Potomac River)|14th Street Bridge]] complex, shearing the tops off vehicles stuck in traffic, before plunging through the {{convert|1|in|mm|adj=mid|-thick}} ice covering the [[Potomac River]]. Rescue responses were greatly hampered by the weather and traffic. Due to action on the part of motorists, a [[United States Park Service]] police helicopter crew, and one of the plane's passengers who later died, five occupants of the downed plane survived. The other 74 people who were aboard and four occupants of vehicles on the bridge were killed. President [[Ronald Reagan]] praised motorist [[Lenny Skutnik]] in his [[State of the Union Address]] a few weeks later.

===PSA Flight 5342===
{{Main articles|2025 Potomac River mid-air collision}}
[[File:Reagan National Airport mid air collision CCTV.webm|200px|thumb|Footage from Reagan Airport of the 29 January 2025 collision]]
On January 29, 2025, PSA Airlines Flight 5342 carrying 64 people [[2025 Potomac River mid-air collision|collided]] with a U.S. Army [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk]] helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Airport, causing both aircraft to crash into the Potomac River. All 67 passengers and crew on both aircraft were killed (64 on the [[Bombardier CRJ700 series|CRJ700]] and three on the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk).<ref name="CNN-PSA5342">{{Cite web |last1=Regan |first1=Helen |last2=Romine |first2=Taylor |last3=Faheid |first3=Dalia |last4=Lynch |first4=Jamiel |last5=Vera |first5=Amir |last6=Park |first6=Hanna |date=2025-01-30 |title=Live updates: American Airlines plane crash near Washington, DC; Reagan National Airport takeoffs and landings halted |url=https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/plane-crash-dca-potomac-washington-dc-01-29-25/index.html |access-date=2025-01-29 |publisher=CNN }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-29 |title=Live updates: Plane crashes into Potomac River after collision with helicopter near Reagan National Airport |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/live-updates-plane-crashes-potomac-river-collision-helicopter-reagan-n-rcna189942 |access-date=2025-01-30 |publisher=NBC News }}</ref>

===2025 fight in Air Traffic Control tower===
On March 27, 2025, an on-duty Air Traffic Control supervisor in the DCA tower punched a subordinate in the face during a dispute in the control tower. The altercation forced other controllers to step away from their duties to intervene. Airport police arrested one controller and charged him with assault and battery.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/01/air-traffic-controller-assault-reagan-national-airport-tower/ Air traffic controller charged with assaulting colleague in DCA tower], Washington Post, April 1, 2025, [https://archive.today/20250401194225/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/01/air-traffic-controller-assault-reagan-national-airport-tower/ Archive]</ref> A week after the incident, the FAA replaced the tower management team, reassigning the district manager and two assistant managers, whose duties included overseeing operations at DCA, Dulles, and [[Baltimore/Washington International Airport|Baltimore/Washington International]] airports.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weiner |first=Rachel |last2=Duncan |first2=Ian |date=2025-04-08 |title=FAA replaces leadership in D.C.-area air traffic control after fight |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/08/reagan-airport-fight-faa/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250410135046/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/08/reagan-airport-fight-faa/ |archive-date=April 10, 2025 |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Washington Post |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== American Eagle Flights 4522 and 5490 ground collision ===
On April 10, 2025, two American Airlines aircraft collided on the ramp, clipping each other's wingtips. [[Republic Airways]] Flight 4522 was departing for [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|John F. Kennedy Airport]] in New York City, while [[PSA Airlines]] Flight 5490 was departing for [[Charleston International Airport|Charleston]], South Carolina. Both airlines are [[American Airlines Group|American Airlines]] subsidiaries which were operating under the [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] brand. Several members of Congress were aboard the New York-bound aircraft, including [[Nick LaLota]], [[Grace Meng]], and [[Josh Gottheimer]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shapiro |first=Emily |last2=Ali |first2=Ayesha |last3=Sweeney |first3=Sam |date=2025-04-10 |title=Wingtip of one plane hits another on taxiway at Reagan airport: FAA |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wingtip-plane-hits-taxiway-reagan-airport-faa/story?id=120687405 |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ronan |first=Dan |date=2025-04-11 |title=FAA opens probe after two American Airlines jets clip wings at DCA |url=https://wtop.com/dc/2025/04/faa-opens-probe-into-ground-collision-thursday-at-dca-involving-two-american-airlines-jets/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=[[WTOP News]] |language=en}}</ref> The FAA is investigating the cause of the incident. 

=== Army Black Hawk flight path incursion ===
On May 1, 2025, two [[Delta Air Lines]] aircraft were forced to abort their landings after an Army Black Hawk helicopter crossed the flight path. Delta Air Lines Flight 1671, an [[Airbus A319]] arriving from Orlando, was at an altitude of 700ft when it initiated a [[go-around]]. [[Republic Airways]] Flight 5825 (branded as [[Delta Connection]]), an [[Embraer E170]] arriving from Boston, had 0.4 miles separation from the helicopter when it aborted its approach. The Army helicopter, a [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk]] inbound to the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] from [[Davison Army Airfield]] in [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax]], [[Virginia]], belonged to the same brigade as the one involved in the fatal January 29 crash, and was carrying out the same [[Priority Air Transport]] mission as the stricken helicopter.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Duncan |first=Ian |last2=Weiner |first2=Rachel |last3=Lamothe |first3=Dan |date=2025-05-02 |title=Airliners abort landings amid Army helicopter’s ‘scenic’ loop around Pentagon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2025/05/02/national-dca-airliners-helicopter-danger/ |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Allen |first=Greg |date=2025-05-03 |title=Army Black Hawk helicopter forces two jetliners to abort landings at DCA |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/05/03/nx-s1-5385802/dca-army-black-hawk-helicopter-airlines-abort-landings |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=[[NPR]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Pawlyk |first=Oriana |date=2025-05-02 |title=FAA: Army helicopter taking ‘scenic route’ near Reagan National forces two passenger jets to shift course |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/02/army-helicopter-00324490 |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=[[POLITICO]] |language=en}}</ref> 

In response to the incident, Secretary of Transportation [[Sean Duffy]] accused the Army of unnecessarily taking a "scenic route" near the flight path. An Army official later disputed the accusation, calling the description "inappropriate."<ref name=":2" /> According to Duffy, equipment failures exacerbated the issue, as controllers were unable to view the Black Hawk’s position in real-time on their radar. The helicopter's radar track "inadvertently floated and jumped to a different location on the controller feed after being unresponsive for a couple seconds."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Mark |date=2025-05-03 |title=2 Planes Abort Landings as Army Helicopter Flies Near D.C. Airport |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/us/politics/reagan-washington-national-airport-helicopter.html |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the incident.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}}
*{{Official website}}
*{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
*[[Historic American Engineering Record]] documentation:
**{{HAER |survey=VA-51-A |id=va2139 |title=Washington National Airport, Hangar No. 1 |photos=30 |data=9 |cap=2 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-51-B |id=va2140 |title=Washington National Airport, Air Transport Command, Passenger Terminal/Operations Building |photos=25 |data=23 |cap=3 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-51-C |id=va2141 |title=Washington National Airport, Air Transport Command, Portable Hangar |photos=11 |data=9 |cap=3 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-51-D |id=va2142 |title=Washington National Airport, Hangar Nos. 8, 9, 11, and 12 |photos=23 |data=13 |cap=5 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-82 |id=va1701 |title=North Airport Entry Underpass, George Washington Memorial Parkway at National Airport |data=2 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-84 |id=va1681 |title=South Airport Exit Overpass, George Washington Memorial Parkway at National Airport |data=2 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-85 |id=va1682 |title=Route 1-National Airport Overpass, George Washington Memorial Parkway at Route 1, National Airport |data=2 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=VA-92 |id=va1689 |title=Original Airport Entrance Overpass, Spanning original Airport Entrance Road at National Airport |photos=6 |data=3 |cap=1 |link=no}}
*{{FAA-diagram|00443}}
*{{FAA-procedures|DCA}}
{{US-airport|DCA}}

History:
*{{cite web|author=CF on |url=https://crankyflier.com/2011/03/21/feeling-the-history-at-washington-national-airport/ |title=Feeling the History at Washington National Airport |publisher=Cranky Flier |date=2011-03-21 |accessdate=2016-07-26}}
*{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NJa_64aH1iMC&q=Washington+National+Airport+Terminal+and+South+Hangar+Line&pg=PA44|chapter=Washington National Airport and South Hangar Line|title=The Virginia landmarks register|place=Charlottesville|publisher= University Press of Virginia|year=1986|isbn=9780813918624}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-KN-17280.aspx |title=KN-17280. President John F. Kennedy Attends Arrival Ceremonies for Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, President of the Republic of Ghana - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum |publisher=Jfklibrary.org |date=1961-03-08 |accessdate=2016-07-26}}
*http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Arlington/000-0045_W.National_Airport_Terminal_1997_Final_Nomination.pdf
*{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/was.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017024817/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/was.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |title=Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line-Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary |publisher=Nps.gov |date=1941-06-16 |accessdate=2016-07-26}}
*{{cite web |url=http://landmarkhunter.com/141980-washington-national-airport-terminal-and-south/ |title=Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line |location=38.847928;-77.043865 |publisher=LandmarkHunter.com |date= |accessdate=2016-07-26 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421050551/http://landmarkhunter.com/141980-washington-national-airport-terminal-and-south/ |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Washington_National_Airport_Terminal_and_South_Hangar_Line |title=Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line |publisher=Archiplanet |date=2006-12-07 |accessdate=2016-07-26 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005120714/http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Washington_National_Airport_Terminal_and_South_Hangar_Line |url-status=dead }}

{{Major US Airports}}
{{Airports in the Baltimore-Washington area}}
{{Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority|state=autocollapse}}
{{Ronald Reagan}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport| ]]
[[Category:1941 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Aircraft hangars on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in North America]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Virginia]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1941]]
[[Category:Airports in Virginia]]
[[Category:Airports on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Crystal City, Virginia]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Virginia]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials to Ronald Reagan]]
[[Category:Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia]]
[[Category:Air transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Transportation in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Airports in the Washington metropolitan area]]