Mineta Says Reagan Airport to Reopen Soon

(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.

Ronald Reagan National Airport, the only airport in the United States still closed in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, should be reopened soon, the Associated Press reported.

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said Friday that Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., will definitely reopen, and details are currently being hashed out with the Secret Service. An official announcement is expected next week

The reopening of Reagan Airport has been the subject of much debate. Government officials from the District of Columbia and Virginia as well as several in Congress have come out very publicly in support of reopening the facility, the AP said.

(Michael James - Transport Topics) The walkways and terminals of Reagan National Airport have been eeriely silent since Sept. 11. Transportation Secretary Mineta has said that the facility will reopen.

It has remained closed to traffic since the Sept. 11 attacks because of its proximity to potential targets in Washington, D.C. like the White House, the U.S. Capitol and other government buildings. Flight plans in and out of the airport had previously taken planes very close to these buildings.

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 according to local television station WJLA.

The station also reported that Washington mayor Anthony A. Williams has said that hotel occupancy rates are down to 17% in some cases and that airport’s closure could cost the city $80 million in tax revenue.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that despite Mineta’s comments, no final decision has been reached about the future of the airport, the AP said.

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