Restoration of General Aviation at Washington Reagan National Airport
General Aviation
TSA's Interim Final Rule (PDF 1.7 MB), which was developed in coordination with other Department of Homeland Security agencies and the Department of Defense, takes into consideration the special security needs of the airport. Under TSA's security plan, 48 flights in and out of DCA will be allowed each day. All aircraft will be required to meet the security measures set forth in the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP), which include:
- TSA inspection of crew and passengers;
- TSA inspection of property (accessible and checked) and aircraft;
- Identification checks of passengers by TSA;
- Submission of passenger and crew manifests 24 hours in advance of flight;
- Enhanced background checks for all passengers and fingerprint based criminal history records check (CHRC) for flight crew;
- Armed Security Officer (ASO) on board each flight. Click here for more information on the Armed Security Officer program;
- All operations are subject to cancellation at any time; and more.
- All DASSP flights must depart from an approved gateway airport and participating Fixed Base Operator (FBO). Those are airports and FBOs are:
- Bedford Hanscom (BED), Bedford, MA – Jet Aviation, Signature Flight Support
- Blue Grass Airport (LEX), Lexington, KY – TAC Air
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, MA – Signature Flight Support
- Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks, CT – Signature Flight Support
- Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago, IL – Signature Flight Support
- Dallas-Love Field (DAL), Dallas, TX – Business Jet Center, Signature Flight Support
- General Mitchell International Airport (MKE), Milwaukee, WI – Signature Flight Support
- La Guardia Airport (LGA) , New York, NY – Sheltair Aviation Services
- Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL), St. Louis, MO – Signature Flight Support
- Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), Islip, NY - ExcelAire
- Memphis International Airport (MEM), Memphis, TN – Signature Flight Support, Wilson Air Center
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport (MSP), Minneapolis, MN – Signature Flight Support
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), West Palm Beach, FL – Signature Flight Support
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Philadelphia, PA – Atlantic Aviation
- Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), Columbus, OH – Lane Aviation Corp.
- Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington, DC – Signature Flight Support
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, CA – Signature Flight Support
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle, WA – Aircraft Services International Group
- St. Paul Downtown Airport / Holman Field (STP), St. Paul, MN – Signature Flight Support
- Teterboro Airport (TEB), Teterboro, NJ – Jet Aviation, Meridian Air, Signature Flight Support
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Washington, DC – Signature Flight Support
- Westchester County Airport (HPN), White Plains, NY – Avitat, Signature Flight Support
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, TX – Wilson Air Center
To apply for the DASSP program:
- Application: Download and print the FBO and Aircraft Operator Application (PDF, 38 KB) and Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) (PDF, 20 KB). The witness for the NDA may be whomever you choose. Fax both of these completed forms to Reggie Rhodes at 571-227-2948.
- Initial Inspection: Once TSA receives your FBO and Aircraft Operator Application and NDA, TSA headquarters will task an “initial outreach inspection” to the TSA office closest to your business. This visit is very informal and its purpose is solely to ensure the legitimacy of the applicant business. Note: The initial inspection is waived if the business applying is already an approved TSA security program holder.
- Compliance Inspection: Upon receiving results of the initial inspection from a TSA representative, TSA headquarters will send you the DCA Access Standard Security Program, along with several other guidance documents. Once you are confident your operation is compliant with the requirements of the program, contact the TSA General Aviation office at 571-227-1322 to request a DASSP compliance inspection. Compliance inspections are a thorough review of the applicant's training and compliance with the basic instruction, and typically take 2-3 hours. The inspection will be conducted by the TSA office nearest your business.
- Approval: The TSA inspector will inform TSA headquarters of satisfactory results of the compliance inspection. TSA headquarters will then email you informing you of your approval for the DASSP. Attached to that email will be electronic files containing details on planning DASSP flights.
For questions relating to the Armed Security Officer Program, please call Mr. David Wright at 703-563-3210 or contact the ASO program office by email at tsoc.aso@dhs.gov.
For questions relating to aircraft operations and fixed base operations, please contact Reginald Rhodes at 571-227-1322 or by email at reginald.rhodes@dhs.gov.