'Hotline' between Reagan National, Pentagon air traffic was down since 2022: FAA official

WASHINGTON (7News) — A special phone line for air traffic control workers at the Pentagon and Reagan National Airport has not worked since early 2022, an issue unknown to the Federal Aviation Administration until recently, the agency's chief deputy operations officer told Congress on Wednesday.

FAA Deputy Chief Frank McIntosh confirmed the issue while responding to Sen. Ted Cruz during a Senate hearing on Tuesday on aviation safety and during a discussion on the deadly Jan. 29 mid-air collision between an American Eagle jet and an Army Black Hawk Helicopter.

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Controllers can still communicate via a landline, but the FAA official said they are pushing for the special hotline, managed by the Department of Defense, to be repaired before Army helicopter flight traffic can resume near D.C.

Army Helicopter flights are not allowed to fly near DCA unless air traffic control approval is obtained, McIntosh said.

Caution surrounding DCA has increased in the months since the 67 people died in the air over the Potomac River between Arlington, Va., and D.C., since considered one of the deadliest flight-related incidents in the U.S. in years.

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A single air traffic controller had been responsible for both helicopter and passenger plane traffic during the incident.

Most helicopter flights were suspended in the days after the tragedy, but the Army suspended its flights in early May after two passenger planes were told to go around as a "Priority Air Transit" helicopter made its way to the Pentagon.

In March, a misunderstanding within the DCA tower led to a Delta flight taking off as jets from Langley Air Force Base neared Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover, per McIntosh.

In February, the FAA fired roughly 300 staff as part of the Trump administration's plan to reduce the federal workforce, later being ordered to rehire 130 people, according to Reuters.

McIntosh said the FAA is looking to hire 2,000 more by the end of this year, and 2,300 more by the end of 2026.