The FAA issued an interim final rule (IFR) on Thursday to permanently restrict helicopter and powered-lift operations in portions of the airspace near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
This new rule adds a new subpart to 14 CFR Part 93 and prohibits helicopters and powered-lift aircraft operating in vertical-lift mode from flying in a designated area over the Potomac River near DCA unless they are conducting essential operations. The rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 23 and took effect immediately, with a public comment period to follow.
According to the FAA, the restrictions are intended to address insufficient separation between fixed-wing aircraft using DCA and helicopters operating along nearby routes. The agency said the interim final rule fully implements a National Transportation Safety Board safety recommendation issued after the Jan. 29, 2025, collision involving a U.S. Army UH-60 helicopter and a PSA Airlines CRJ700 operating as American Airlines Flight 5342.
“We took decisive action immediately following the January 2025 midair collision to reduce risk in the airspace,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “This is a key step toward ensuring these improvements remain permanent.”
Under the rule, only limited operations—including lifesaving medical flights, active law enforcement, national security missions, continuity-of-government activities and presidential or vice presidential transport—will be permitted within the restricted area, which extends from the surface to 1,500 feet MSL between the Memorial Bridge, Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge. When those flights occur, air traffic control will restrict certain runway operations at DCA to avoid mixed traffic.
The interim final rule follows a series of related actions by the FAA, including permanently closing a segment of Helicopter Route 4, updating helicopter route charts at DCA, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and eliminating the use of visual separation near DCA.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the action reflects a continued focus on safety, stating the administration is committed to “do whatever it takes to secure the skies over our nation’s capital,” according to a Department of Transportation announcement.
