Bill · S. 5387· Senate(119-S-5387)
DCA Air Safety Act
- Introduced
- 9/14/2026
- Last activity
- 9/14/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Timothy Kaine
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The ``DCA Air Safety Act'' aims to improve operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The bill requires the FAA Administrator to assess and reduce the airport's hourly arrival rate to a maximum of 28 aircraft. It also mandates the creation of 30-minute interval caps to prevent the clustering of flights. Additionally, the act calls for the permanent elimination of 30 slot exemptions through a five-year phase-in process. To oversee these changes, a permanent commission will be established to study conditions and safety at the airport.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
The bill requires public notice of proposed slot eliminations and a public comment period.
Would people in cities be better off under this?+4
Improving aviation safety at a major metropolitan airport benefits the surrounding urban population.
The opposite
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?-7
The bill explicitly prohibits judicial review of the Administrator's decisions regarding slot exemptions.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Improved Airfield Safety: By reducing the Airport Arrival Rate to no more than 28 aircraft, the bill addresses capacity constraints and high-density traffic periods noted in the findings (Section 2(a)(1) and 2(b)(1)(A)-(B)).
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Reduced Flight Clustering: The implementation of binding 30-minute interval caps is designed to evenly distribute arrivals and departures, which prohibits the banking or clustering of aircraft (Section 2(b)(2)).
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Ongoing Safety Oversight: The establishment of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Slot Exemption Evaluation Commission provides for an ongoing study of conditions at DCA to include the impact on safety and operations (Section 2(b)(4)(C)(i)(I)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Elimination of Flight Slots: The bill requires the permanent elimination of 30 slot exemptions at DCA, which includes at least 26 exemptions that are beyond the perimeter (Section 2(b)(3)(A)-(B)).
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Limited Judicial Oversight: The law specifies that there shall be no judicial review regarding the Administrator's decision to eliminate or delay the elimination of slot exemptions (Section 2(b)(3)(D)(E)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Urban Residents+4
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5Improves Due Process-7
- 9/14/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia