KANSAS CITY - The National Transportation Safety Board has released a report on the American Airlines flight that was hit by a U.S. Army helicopter on its approach to Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. The crash January 29 killed all 64 passengers and three crew members on board.
The NTSB's preliminary report says the U.S. transportation secretary took "swift action" to restrict helicopter traffic near Reagan National but has also recommended the FAA ban helicopter operations near the airport and find an alternate route.
ABC's Peter Charalambous joined Wink & Amy today on Kansas City's Morning News to detail the ordered changes at Reagan National. You can listen to the entire interview here:
The report says helicopters can fly at altitudes up to 200 feet, leaving only 75 feet of vertical separation from a plane landing on one of the runways, creating an "intolerable risk to aviation safety."
At the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference Tuesday, American Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom said care teams were still working with families of passengers and crew.
"This has been the primary focus of attention for American certainly since the end of January," he said.
Isom said American has also set up an "office of continuing care" to help families long-term. He said the airline has also been cooperating with the NTSB during the investigation.
He said American is prepared for a drop in demand at Reagan National because of less travel among government workers and contractors.
"DCA, historically, has been one of our most profitable hubs. We have an enviable position there, and over the long run, I'm confident it will return to its full share of profitability," he said.
He said economic uncertainty and a drop in domestic demand in March could affect the airline as a whole. Despite potential headwinds on demand, Isom said American has built itself to be "nimble" in response to changes.
"We have an incredible Sunbelt hub position," he said. "American's not going anywhere. American is recovering, and I can guarantee you anything you hear to the contrary is just concern we're making a lot of progress."
He said growth at DFW Airport and in Charlotte is expected to continue. American also expects to add capacity in Chicago, and operate its largest schedule in New York since 2019.
Chief Financial Officer Devon May said American has a younger fleet than other carriers, and the ability to adjust will allow it to respond to changes in demand. He said the fleet has the ability to grow five to six percent, but demand is more likely to shadow economic growth.
"That's the greatest part about our capacity plan and fleet plan right now," May said. "If we are headed into a softer demand environment, right now we're growing low single digits, and if we need to pare that back a little bit, that's pretty easy."
American is also asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case in which a lower court ruled the airline must dissolve an alliance with JetBlue in the Northeast. The Department of Justice sued, arguing the agreement harmed competition in New York and Boston.
"The Northeast Alliance benefited consumers. Plain and simple, it did," Isom said. "I don't like the precedent. It's wrong. It doesn't benefit anybody. Consumers had a much better opportunity to get where they wanted to go at the price they wanted to go with three really strong competitors."