The departures display board shows multiple flights delayed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
| Photo Credit: AP

Washington:

The recent collision between a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle Flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has brought attention to the safety record of the Black Hawk. Considered the “workhorse” of Army aviation, the Black Hawk has been in service since 1979 and has a reputation for being reliable and survivable in combat and transport missions.

With over 5,000 units built for 36 countries, the Black Hawk is widely used for various operations, including air assault and relief efforts. Despite its strong track record, the Black Hawk has been involved in several fatal incidents, including a collision during a training exercise in Kentucky that killed nine soldiers.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub told MSNBC, that the crew of the Black Hawk involved in the recent collision may not have been aware of the passenger jet’s presence, as video footage showed the helicopter did not change course or altitude before the crash. Gaub also pointed out that the training mission had fewer crew chiefs than usual, which may have reduced the crew’s ability to identify potential dangers. Usually such missions have three chew chiefs, however Wednesday’s had one. “That’s a fact,” he said. “It may have bearing in the future. It may not. But it does reduce ability of crew to identify an aircraft in flight at night.”

The Army has grounded its aviation units except for critical missions following the collision in Kentucky and another fatal incident involving Apache helicopters in Alaska. Army Chief of Staff James McConville stated that the stand-down was necessary to ensure the Army was taking all possible precautions to prevent accidents.

A review of fatal incidents involving Black Hawk helicopters found that while 60 people had died in training incidents over the previous decade, the Black Hawk has fewer deadly incidents relative to hours flown compared to other helicopters in the Army’s fleet. The review concluded that the Black Hawk is involved in far less fatal incidents than other helicopters, including the AH-64 Apache and the CH-47 Chinook.
 

PSA Airlines, an American regional airline passenger jet collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, near Reagan Washington Airport. The jet crashed into the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

Flight delays, cancellations, and disruptions are the worst part of flying. On-time performance is a major factor for travellers choosing airlines for connecting flights. The latest results from travel data analytics firm Cirium revealed that the most punctual airport in February in the global category was Washington Dulles in Northern Virginia, US, with an on-time departure rate of 89.95 per cent. 

It was followed by Vienna International Airport (VIE), with an average departure performance of 89.39 per cent. Completing the list of the top five airports for on-time departures was Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) with an impressive 89.04% success rate. Joining them in the top tier were Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) at 88.36% and Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH) at 88.12%.

Aeromexico led the way for airlines with a 90.66 per cent on-time arrival rate, with Delta and Iberia following closely behind in the top three positions, as per Cirium Aviation Analytics’ monthly report on global airline punctuality.

International travel is back and bigger than ever. Last year we hit a record 9.3 MILLION international passengers, flying past our 2022 numbers by 26.9%! pic.twitter.com/Kj3WTke5WO

— Dulles Airport (IAD) (@Dulles_Airport) February 21, 2024

In 2023, overseas flights from Washington Dulles Airport experienced a significant uptick of 26.9 per cent, according to passenger traffic data released by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). The airport surpassed its previous record for international passengers set in 2019, welcoming 8.4 million travellers. The surge in passenger traffic in 2023 was primarily driven by the addition of services from five airlines to IAD: ITA Airways, Norse Atlantic, WestJet, Air China, and PLAY.

Indian airports securing top positions in the ‘On-Time Performance Monthly Report’ by Cirium, a data analytics firm, include Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. In 2023, these airports claimed the second and third spots on the list, respectively. Arrivals and departures are considered punctual if they occur within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.