JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Here in Washington, one of the big stories we are following in President Bush's announcement that the local airport, if you will, Reagan National Airport will reopen as soon as this Thursday. For the latest let's go to Kathleen Koch at Reagan Airport -- Kathleen.</s>KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judy, as you can see behind me it is a ghost town here today. By Thursday that should change. This airport of course is the only one in the nation that remains closed since September 11 obviously because of security concerns over its very close proximity to vital federal buildings in the nation's capitol, to the White House, to the Pentagon, to the CIA, buildings up and down the Mall, the national monuments. So when it reopens Thursday very secure measures, tough new measures will be in place unlike any other airport. President Bush said that we will see federal armed air marshals on all flights in and out of Reagan National Airport. Passenger will go through not one but two security screenings. Approach and departure routes will be varied. So the planes will no longer just follow the Potomac River, but will approach and depart on straight lines. Cockpit doors will be strengthened and there will be expanded police and canine patrols of all secure areas in this entire airport. The President Bush this morning in making his announcement right here at Reagan National Airport was greeted with thunderous applause and President Bush said this was a decision that was very important in restoring the public's confidence in the public's aviation system.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We got struck hard on September 11. All of us know that. You can't strike the American spirit. It's strong. It's vibrant. It's united. And by opening this airport, we are making yet another statement to the terrorists: You can't win.</s>KOCH: Thursday flights will begin to eight cities ,expanded to 18 cities in about 45 days -- Judy.
Reagan National Airport to Open