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FAA announces buffer zones at two airports in the Washington DC area

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced on Thursday that it would modify helicopter routes at two airports in the Washington area. This comes months after an American Airlines plane collided near Washington with an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

The FAA has confirmed that the changes will affect Washington Dulles Airport and Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport.

The FAA stated that "These changes will increase separation between helicopters, airplanes, and aircraft operating in and out of airports."

The FAA also said that it would be making changes to the traffic around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The FAA was criticized by lawmakers, the National Transportation Safety Board, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy because it failed to act on near-miss reports before the mid-air collision that killed 67 people on January 29, 2013.

The FAA banned the Army in May from helicopter flights near the Pentagon following a close call on May 1, which forced two civilian aircraft to abort their landings.

At the time of the accident, the Army Black Hawk helicopter had exceeded the maximum altitude allowed.

In March, the NTSB reported that there have been 15200 incidents of air separation near Reagan Washington National Airport involving commercial aircraft and helicopters since 2021. This includes 85 close calls.

The FAA announced Thursday that it has reduced the boundary of zones around Reagan and added notes on the Reagan helicopter chart to "improve clarity regarding altitude and operation instructions."

In April, the

FAA has imposed new restrictions in order to prevent

The collisions of helicopters with passenger planes at the busy Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas have raised serious safety concerns.

The FAA also examined the flow of traffic around Hollywood Burbank Airport, Van Nuys Airport and other airports in Los Angeles. These are all less than 10 miles away and have a variety of aircraft that arrive and depart at close intervals. (Reporting and editing by David Shepardson, Jasper Ward)

(source: Reuters)