Reagan Airport to Reopen on Thursday

(Michael James - Transport Topics) Jetways take no passengers to planes at Reagan National Airport, normally one of the nation's busiest. It has remained closed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

President Bush said Tuesday that Washington's Reagan National Airport will reopen for limited business on Thursday under tight security, which includes armed air marshals on every plane taking off or landing at the airport, news services reported.

The first flights will be shuttles to New York's LaGuardia Airport and Boston, the Associated Press reported. Service is also expected to resume between the airport and Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, Newark and Pittsburgh.

Because passenger planes carry a large amount of all air cargo that is later transferred to trucks, the disruption of normal airline flights has hurt both dedicated cargo service and highway freight hauls.

This is the only commercial airport not yet open following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Because Reagan National is so close to some of the country’s most important buildings and monuments, the new security measures are to prevent hijackers from taking over a plane and crashing it into a nearby government building with only seconds or minutes warning, Reuters reported.

The airport employs 10,000 and provided service to 45,000 passengers before the attacks. It also contributes an estimated $5 billion to the region's economy each year, according to television station WJLA.

While many supported the move, some industry watchers said that reopening left the nation's capital vulnerable to terrorist attacks, the AP said.

Paul Hudson, director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project, had suggested the airport remain closed for commercial travel and instead be used as the headquarters for the newly created Office of Homeland Security and as a staging area for Air Force planes protecting the city, according to the AP.

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