Trump’s triumphal arch approved by FAA with one adjustment after worries over risk to commercial flights
Por David Shepardson — – World RSS Feed
Trump’s triumphal arch approved by FAA with one adjustment after worries over risk to commercial flights
The planned arch would sit 3,000 feet from Reagan Airport, directly inside the airfield’s primary approach and departure corridor
David Shepardson Friday 18 September 2026 21:02 BST
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Federal aviation authorities said Friday that a proposed triumphal arch President Donald Trump wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington will not pose an aviation risk, provided it includes an “eternal flame” on top.
The FAA determination mandates a light on top of the structure, along with floodlight projectors aimed at the monument to ensure it remains visible to pilots. Aviation experts had previously raised safety concerns because of its proximity to Reagan Washington National Airport.
The ruling removes a key regulatory hurdle for the monument, which Trump proposed to mark the country’s 250th anniversary. The initiative forms part of the president’s wider campaign to redesign Washington’s monumental landscape, including a new White House ballroom, renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and redeveloping an East Potomac Park golf course.
open image in galleryVeterans have filed a lawsuit to block the arch, arguing it would ruin the historical sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Although the FAA previously stated the structure required red obstruction lights, it indicated on Friday that they are no longer necessary.
The FAA decision remains open to review if petitions are submitted by October 18.
Worries over risk to commercial flights
In June, US Senator Tammy Duckworth, the leading Democrat on the Senate aviation subcommittee, appealed to the FAA to resist White House pressure to clear the 250-foot (76-meter) arch, warning it might endanger commercial flights.
The planned arch would sit 3,000 feet from Washington National Airport, directly inside the airfield’s primary approach and departure corridor.
open image in galleryThe agency typically requires flashing red warning lights on structures over 200 feet near airports for night aviation safety, such as those on the nearby 555-foot-tall Washington Monument.
Duckworth cited National Park Service findings showing construction would require cranes reaching 300 to 320 feet high, operating up to 20 hours daily across two to three years.
The FAA specified that pilots must maintain an altitude of at least 780 feet above the site, leaving a minimum clearance of 488 feet above the arch.
On September 4, a federal judge directed the Trump administration to provide 48 hours’ notice prior to initiating any site activity, excluding work to locate underground cultural artifacts.
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