A ground stop issued at several airports in the Washington, D.C., region on Friday has been lifted after a chemical odor disrupted air traffic control operations.
The temporary ground stop affected Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) and Richmond International Airport (RIC), according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later downgraded the alert to ground delays for the Washington-area airports as operations gradually resumed.
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The FAA website showed significant delays as of 8:40 p.m. Friday, including average ground delays of about 222 minutes at DCA and more than 150 minutes at BWI.
Earlier in the day, Duffy said the FAA was investigating a strong odor detected at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility, which manages air traffic in the area..
“[FAA] is working to address the source of a strong odor coming from Potomac TRACON that is impacting operations at the three airports,” he said.
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TRACON, located in Warrenton, Virginia, provides air traffic control services across the Baltimore-Washington and Richmond-Charlottesville areas, according to FOX 5.
An FAA spokesperson confirmed the ground stop was implemented after a strong chemical smell at the facility affected some air traffic controllers.
“The FAA has temporarily stopped traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) because of a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON that is impacting some air traffic controllers,” the spokesperson said.
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Airport officials said flights are now resuming, though passengers should expect lingering delays as airlines work through the backlog.
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“Airlines are once again resuming regular operations and preparing departures. Expect residual delays this evening,” BWI Airport said in a post on X. “For flight-specific updates, please confirm flight status with your airline. We appreciate the patience of passengers impacted by the delays.”
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