Deadly mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., reignites concerns over air traffic congestion and safety risks at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Lawmakers have an interest in boosting direct flights to their states because Reagan is closer to downtown than Dulles.

Political leaders had warned about the dangers of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. months before an American Airlines flight collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on its approach to the airport.

Reagan airport was at the center of a fierce safety debate last year. Lawmakers approved more flights anyway - ‘We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,

The plan to add five incoming and five outgoing flights was included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act last year.

DCA is one of the most demanding airports in the world. It also has what’s known as ‘helicopter alley’ with hundreds of police, military, news and rescue helicopters criss-crossing

THE deadly American Airlines crash follows a flurry of near-misses and smashes at Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport – including a 1982 crash that killed 78 people.

Senators from Virginia and Maryland said a near-miss at the D.C. airport in April should be a "bright red warning light flashing before Congress."

Leaders across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region, as well as federal lawmakers, are reacting to the tragic American Airlines plane crash near DCA.

Lawmakers have lobbied to add flights, while pilots have complained about the presence of military and other aircraft.