21 April 1999
(April 20 release announced temporary security measures) (580) Washington - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a temporary expansion of airspace restrictions and enhanced airport security in the Washington, D.C., area during the 50th Anniversary NATO Summit April 23-25. In an April 20 news release, the FAA said that unless authorized by air traffic control, flight operations will be prohibited temporarily in airspace below 18,000 feet within a 10 nautical mile radius of Ronald Reagan National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base. The restriction will begin April 23 at 6:00 a.m. and last until 6:00 p.m. on April 25. The FAA did not give specific details, citing security reasons, but it said passengers might notice an increased police presence and greater use of the FAA canine explosives detection teams at Reagan National, Washington Dulles, and Baltimore-Washington airports. Following is a text of the FAA release: (Begin text) U.S. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION April 20, 1999 FAA TEMPORARILY EXPANDS AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS AND SECURITY MEASURES AT LOCAL AIRPORTS FOR NATO SUMMIT WASHINGTON - Providing an extra margin of safety and security, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will temporarily expand airspace restrictions and enhance airport security in the Washington, D.C., area during the 50th Anniversary NATO Summit. Unless authorized by air traffic control, flight operations will be prohibited temporarily in airspace below 18,000 feet within a 10 nautical mile radius of Ronald Reagan National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base. The restriction will begin April 23 at 6:00 a.m. and last until 6:00 p.m. on April 25. The restriction also includes additional airspace surrounding the Prohibited Area 56 (P-56) covering the Naval Observatory/Vice President's residence to points along the Anacostia River. Aircraft seeking to fly in the airspace covered by the temporary flight restriction must remain clear until air traffic control clearance is obtained from Washington and/or Andrews Approach Control, as appropriate. Reagan National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base are exempt from the provisions of the temporary flight restriction, as are flights within the visual flight rule fly way between Reagan National and Dulles Airport. The following local airports will remain open for arrivals and departures and local airfield operations: Potomac Airfield, Washington Executive, College Park, Freeway, and Davison Army Air Field. No sightseeing requests will be approved within seven nautical miles of Reagan National Airport. Helicopter operations are prohibited on two published helicopter routes: Route 1 from Hains Point to Cabin John and from Hains Point to Riverdale, and Route 2 from Woods Corner to Route 1. The FAA is also taking a number of steps to enhance security at local airports and on flights to and from the region during the period surrounding the NATO anniversary event. Many of these steps cannot be detailed for security reasons, but passengers may notice an increased police presence and greater use of the FAA canine explosives detection teams at Reagan National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The agency also will be stepping up its oversight of passenger pre-board screening at local airports and has scheduled an increased number of missions by Federal Air Marshals on flights to and from the area. The air marshals are members of a highly trained armed security force that fly anonymously on domestic and international flights to deter criminal acts targeting aircraft in flight and to protect passengers and flight crews in case of such attempts. (End text)