WASHINGTON — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said Wednesday it has safety concerns about a proposed 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch planned for Memorial Circle that would sit on the final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Association president Sara Nelson said the arch “compounds multiple safety concerns” that she said remain unaddressed after a deadly January 2025 crash over the Potomac River that killed 67 people. Nelson also criticized an announced plan by former President Donald Trump to convert the memorial into what he called “a top grade Military Complex,” a change she said could introduce military equipment — including drones and snipers — into airspace used by commercial flights.
“DCA is already stretched to its limit, we do not need an obstacle taking up space in our flight path,” Nelson said. “Nor should commercial aviation have to dodge military drones, missiles or snipers while attempting to take off or land at Washington National Airport. Safety first always.” The union represents about 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, according to the statement.
Flight attendants’ union raises safety concerns about Trump’s Washington arch
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The flight attendants’ concerns join objections from veterans’ groups, some members of Congress and preservation advocates who have argued the memorial would threaten historic and symbolic sightlines among Washington landmarks. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has given early approval to the arch; the source material notes the commission’s members were all appointed by Trump.
A group made up of three veterans and an architectural historian has sued, arguing the project requires congressional approval rather than only the design review it has received so far.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued an assessment before Trump’s announcement about converting the arch into a military facility, saying the structure would not pose a hazard to aircraft but recommending it be made conspicuous to pilots. The FAA recommended the arch be “appropriately marked with a non-standard eternal flame on top of the structure and floodlight projectors pointed towards the arch to make it noticeable for pilots,” the agency said.
The National Park Service produced its own assessment concluding the proposed memorial could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of nearby sites; nevertheless, the Park Service approved the project despite that finding.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced in early March that excavation work at Memorial Circle would begin within weeks. The Interior Department did not immediately respond to questions about the current status of that work, according to the source material.
The arch is one of several high-profile projects tied to Trump’s reshaping of parts of Washington, D.C., the reporting says, alongside renovations at a public golf course and threats to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
This story has been updated to correct the union’s name. It is the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, not Flight Attendants Association-CWA.
