Over the past few months, there have been clashes and many nearby mistakes at the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is increasing the support and surveillance of air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, following many of what is called “stressful events.”
The FAA also says it will perform regular wellness checks at the facility.
Additionally, they plan to increase the airport’s operational supervisor from 6 to 8, and are reviewing the number of controller staff. We also evaluate current hourly arrival rates at airports. This states that “we are disproportionately concentrated within the last 30 minutes of each hour.”
The announcement follows a series of incidents at the airport over the past few months, in January, a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines local passenger jet collided in the air, killing 67 people.
The Congress and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been investigating the country’s most deadly crash since November 2001.
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Other incidents include the March 27 arrest of a 39-year-old employee from Maryland on suspicion of assault and battery after a fight at Control Tower, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed in a statement.
No details regarding the argument have been released.
The FAA said employees were placed on administrative leave while the fight was investigated.
The airliner was cleared to take off from the airport around 3:15pm, while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft were inbound for overpasses at the cemetery, the FAA said in a statement.
With the Delta planes close to one of the Air Force aircraft, air traffic controllers issued instructions to both aircraft to bypass the course to avoid a collision.
After the crash in January, airport arrival rates fell to 26 planes per hour, with crew members working to recover wreckage and victim bodies from the Potomac River, but the FAA acting chief said last week that arrivals could potentially reach 32, returning up to 30 times per hour.
It is not clear whether recent incidents will affect these plans.
Such events also suggest that “air traffic organisations are under extreme stress,” the lawmaker said.
Andrew Thornebrooke and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
