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Washington DC two major airports close by – Dulles (IAD), which is large and for domestic and international flights, and Reagan National (DCA), which is very close to the city. Because of how close DCA is to residential, office and government buildings, there are very tight restrictions both on noise and number of larger aircraft flying close to potentially high-risk areas. The intent is that larger aircraft, including longer domestic flights, are all operated out of IAD, which is 25 miles from Washington DC.
One particular way DCA has acted on these concerns is through enforcement of a “perimeter rule” stating that only flights under 1,250 miles are allowed to depart from the airport. However, over the years there have been certain exceptions to this perimeter rule. Currently, 10 routes surpass the 1,250 mile perimeter limit enacted by the federal government (see map below for exact destinations).
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
Originally, the perimeter rule seemed to be for marketing for IAD Airport
When the rule was enacted in the 1960s, it was set at only 650 miles, which could reach Atlanta, Nashville, and Chicago, but not St. Louis or further. It seems like this was a move to help drive passenger traffic out to the then-new Dulles Airport in the suburbs of Washington DC, which opened in 1962. The perimeter was later expanded to 1,000 miles in the 1980s before it was again expanded to its current 1,250 mile limit.
Senator John McCain was a huge proponent of the perimeter exceptions
Apparently in the late 1990s, Senator John McCain from Arizona proposed introducing exceptions to the DCA perimeter rule in order to help “promote competition and lower fares”. However critics quickly pointed out that Senator McCain himself would be a primary benefactor to direct flights from DCA to Phoenix, a flight of almost 2,000 miles. Eventually, the exceptions were granted and select cities further than 1,250 miles were allowed to operate from DCA.
Unlike other airports in the country, US Congress has significant sway over DCA
Because of its proximity to residential, business and sensitive government locations, the federal government has significant sway over the operations of DCA – particularly US Congress. Technically speaking, the airport is managed by the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) which is an independent and interstate agency, Congress reportedly maintains significant sway over the operations of the organization.
Additional links and sources
- Official Government Accountability Office document on the DCA perimeter restrictions (link, published in 2020)
- Article noting John McCain’s influence over the perimeter restrictions (link, published in 2016)
- Background history about DCA Airport (link)
- Article noting the sway US Congress has over MWAA (link, published in 2016)
Have you ever flown out of DCA before?
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