[WASHINGTON D.C., JULY 11, 2023] – Reagan National Airport [DCA] is at capacity. That doesn’t seem to matter to a Delta-backed group that is recklessly pushing for more flights at DCA despite opposition from aviation experts, the local airport authority, and hundreds of other businesses, airports, and local officials from all over the country.
With members of Congress back in Washington this week, CPARA is fact checking false and misleading claims that are being used to irresponsibly push for more flights at DCA. As the experts have made clear, DCA is at capacity and Delta’s “DCA Delay” bill will bring the airport to a standstill.
FACT CHECK #4: FAA confirms that DCA is delay-prone, more flights mean more delays, and Delta-backed analysis is “flawed”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that, even without the additional flights proposed by Delta, “DCA is more delay prone than other airports” and that more flights would further worsen delays.[1]
- According to the FAA, DCA ranks tenth among the most delayed airports and had the 5th largest number of Ground Delay Programs and Ground Stops in the national airspace system.
- Already, about 20% of departures and 22% of arrivals at DCA experience average delays of 67 minutes.
- Importantly, the FAA analyzed Delta-backed claims that DCA can handle additional flights, and found that its analysis “is flawed and does not directly tie to the physical airport capacity.”
- The FAA also found that the additional flights proposed by Delta would “have a negative impact on operational performance and passenger experience.”
- More specifically, an Annual Service Volume delay analysis found that an increase of 20 round trip operations would increase delays at DCA by 25.9%, while an increase of 25 round trip operations would increase delays by 33.2%.
“The Federal Aviation Administration has made it clear – Delta’s push for additional flights at DCA is based on a flawed analysis that does not factor in the airport’s limited physical capacity. DCA already has too many delays and Delta’s plan for more flights would make this even worse for passengers.” – CPARA
Don’t miss the other fact checks in this series, where we set the record straight on America’s busiest runway, the importance of protecting passenger safety at DCA, and the airport’s high rates of flight cancellations.
[1] All facts cited come from the FAA Memorandum on CAA analysis, May 2023.
