WASHINGTON — Almost nine months before Wednesday night’s midair collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport, Maryland’s two U.S. senators warned about the safety implications of overcrowding the air space around the airport.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and then-U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin joined their counterparts from Virginia to be the only four holdouts in the 100-member Senate to vote against a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill.

Their concerns stemmed from a provision that added 10 new flights to DCA, one of the busiest airports in the country.

Van Hollen said at the time that he was “outraged” about the change and that an amendment for additional safety measures was not brought up for a vote.

“The runway at DCA is already the busiest in our nation and the addition of these 10 flights jeopardizes both its safety and operations,” the Democratic senator said in a statement after voting against the bill. “I am deeply concerned about the long-lasting implications this will have for my constituents who travel to and from DCA.”

Cardin, a three-term Democrat who did not run for re-election last year, said at the time he was “greatly disappointed” that the amendments were blocked. The FAA itself indicated the added flights “would add to already overburdened flight operations” while the Senate instead “prioritized convenience of a few senators over the safe operations of the busiest runway in the United States,” he said in a statement.

The reauthorization passed in the Democratic-controlled Senate by a vote of 88 to 4. It passed 351-69 in the Republican-controlled House, with all eight Maryland representatives voting in favor.

Officials said Thursday morning they believe there are no survivors of the crash between an American Airlines flight arriving from Wichita, Kansas and the Black Hawk helicopter that was operating around the airport.

Van Hollen said in a social media post he was monitoring the situation and was praying for those involved.

This story will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Janesch at sjanesch@baltsun.com.

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