Near miss at airport prompts temporary change in US air traffic control procedures
US aviation officials have issued a temporary suspension of "opposite direction" runway operations as a direct result of investigations into the near miss of three aircraft on runways at Washington Airport last week.
FAA acting administrator Michael Huerta said investigations had shown there was "no standard protocol" for a switch from one-way traffic to two-way traffic.
He said that lack of a standard procedure in the switch was a likely cause of the "loss of separation" incident last week.
Flights came dangerously close to each other when incoming and outgoing traffic at DCA switched directions.
He also said that front line managers appear to be juggling administrative tasks in addition to their tower operations duties and that would need to be changed.
"We need to be sure that they are solely focused on the operations in the facility and not handling administrative duties" during busy times," he wrote in a statement.
Huerta said he was putting the temporary suspension of these operations in place because of an "abundance of caution".
He said that the FAA would have protocols in place to resume the operations in a month.
by Gretchen Kelly, TravelMole US
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season