A recent NTSB report highlights serious safety concerns at Reagan National Airport, revealing 15,000 near misses between helicopters and commercial planes in a short period. Investigators found that helicopters on Route 4 could have as little as 75 feet of vertical separation from incoming aircraft. Officials are also questioning why ADS-B Out tracking systems may have been turned off in some cases.

During a Senate hearing, discussions shifted to the Boeing acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, Kansas’ largest private employer. Boeing CEO, Kelly Ortberg, assured lawmakers that the deal would keep jobs in Kansas and potentially create more opportunities.

“Let me just assure you that Spirit AeroSystems and the work we do in Kansas is critically important,” said Ortberg.“We are spending a significant amount of our capital to acquire that company, and we are not going to do that and move work out of Kansas. The work that we are doing there is going to stay there. In fact, I am very hopeful that once we get the acquisition closed, we will find opportunities to do even more work.”

They emphasized that integrating Spirit into Boeing’s operations would improve aircraft safety and efficiency. Boeing also addressed potential defense contracts in Kansas but withheld details due to security concerns.