Reagan National Lifts Private-Plane Ban

WASHINGTON - Private planes will soon fly again to and from the airport nearest the White House, ending the last airport flight ban imposed after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that charter flights, corporate jets and some small planes will be allowed to use Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport within 90 days.

Ed Bolen, head of the National Business Aviation Association, called the move a "symbolic first step" for the return of business aviation to the nation's capital.

"From the standpoint that we now have access to all of our nation's airports, this is really significant," he said.

Currently, the airport bans noncommercial flights, the result of security concerns after Sept. 11. Reopening the airport has little effect on Wichita's general aviation manufacturers, given the airport's small percentage of overall small-jet traffic.

But reopening Reagan has been a top priority for general aviation groups for more than three years, as its closing signified to them the continued perception that small aircraft posed a security threat.

After three years of tightened aviation security and hard lobbying by small-jet operators and manufacturers, it was time to reopen the airport, said Transportation Security Administration head David Stone.

Flights will at first only be allowed to and from 12 airports, mainly in large cities. And only 48 flights will be allowed each day over a 12-hour period. If all those slots are used, traffic will still only be one-quarter what it was in 2000.

The type of private craft that can fly in and out also remains limited. While charter jets and larger business jets will be allowed, smaller Cessnas, Beechcraft and other planes will be considered for flights later, Stone said, adding that such compromises were necessary as private flights at Reagan get off the ground.

Central to the concerns of Bolen and other general aviation advocates is treatment of the smallest aircraft, which they maintain are proper to operate near the White House but which as recently as this month have raised public alarm.

On May 11 a single-engine Cessna that flew within three miles of the White House caused thousands to evacuate, and two F-16s came within seconds of shooting the plane down. The incident turned out to be a case of confused pilots, but it underscored how spooked the capital can still be.

The ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the new rules still don't adequately address issues involving the smallest planes, such as the Cessna, which may not pose the same security threat as larger private planes.

The federal plan, he said, "only provides a piecemeal solution to air security."

The new rules are expected to be released in the next few days.