FAA says Trump arch will not interfere with D.C. airport flight path

Updated on: September 18, 2026 / 1:41 PM EDT / CBS News

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday determined that President Trump's planned triumphal arch next to Arlington Cemetery and near the Lincoln Memorial poses no hazard to flights coming into and departing from Washington Reagan National Airport.

The FAA said that "the structure would have no substantial adverse effect" on the utilization of the D.C. National Airport airspace or on the operation of the airport's navigation facilities. The FAA said it must also be alerted at least 10 days before construction officially begins.

Public comments submitted to the agency questioned whether the arch would affect capacity at the airport or pilot workload, but the FAA determined there was no issue.

The structure, which is expected to break ground in the coming days, has faced heavy criticism in the months since the president announced it, in particular because it would stand in the flight path for planes landing at and departing from nearby Washington Reagan National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia.

Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that the 260-foot arch would further complicate an already complex airspace, where just a year and a half ago, the deadliest plane crash on American…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/