FAA says it is adding buffer zones near two DC area airports

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it was modifying helicopter routes at two international airports near Washington, D.C., months after an American Airlines jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near the capital.

The FAA said the route changes affect Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

“These changes are a precautionary measure that will add an additional buffer between aircraft and increase the separation between helicopters and airplanes operating into and out of each airport,” the FAA said.

The FAA said it was also making changes to traffic around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The FAA has faced criticism from lawmakers, the Nat