(Fixes typographical error in headline)
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration plans to suspend flights at Reagan Washington National Airport from 6 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. during U.S. President Donald Trump’s Army anniversary parade on Saturday, the agency said Wednesday.
The FAA is expanding the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Special Flight Rules Area and from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. will stop all arrivals and departures at the airport just outside Washington.
Major airlines are offering flexibility to travelers. United Airlines said it is offering a travel waiver for Reagan National, as well as adding two additional departures from and two additional arrivals at nearby Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday.
American Airlines said it has “adjusted our schedule during this timeframe, temporarily added larger aircraft at DCA to accommodate more customers at alternative times and issued a travel alert that includes flexibility to travel on a different day or through Washington Dulles and Baltimore Washington at no extra cost.”
The long-planned celebration for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary will coincide with the president’s 79th birthday. The airport is located less than two miles from the National Mall.
The U.S. Army is bringing 6,500 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft for the celebration. The flyover will include Apache and Black Hawk helicopters along with Chinooks. Older aircraft like the World War Two-era B-25 bomber and P-51 Mustang will also take part.
The Washington area is the most heavily restricted airspace in the United States. No drones are permitted in Washington without special FAA approval.
The FAA has barred routine Army training and transport helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a May 1 close call and the Jan. 29 collision of an American regional jet and Army helicopter that killed 67.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul)
