Transportation secretary: Working on telecom issues after Marine One close call

Published Aug 11, 03:45 PM UTC

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Tuesday that he is addressing telecom issues flagged after a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump came too close to a passenger jet departing Reagan Washington National Airport. The incident raised concerns about why commercial traffic was allowed while Marine One was nearby, a time when such traffic is typically halted. Following a deadly January 2025 crash between a military helicopter and a commercial jet that killed 67 people, the FAA had barred mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport. Duffy stated the telecom issues have been elevated and that he is working with the FAA and the White House on a fix. The FAA is spending billions to replace outdated air traffic control telecom infrastructure and radar systems after a series of failures, including significant outages affecting Newark and Washington traffic and a 2023 nationwide ground stop.