The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flight operations at major airports Friday after a strong chemical odor at a nearby air traffic control facility disrupted operations across the Washington, D.C., region.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the FAA issued a ground stop affecting several major airports, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Richmond International Airport. The disruption stemmed from a strong odor detected at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control facility, known as Potomac TRACON, which manages aircraft arriving and departing from several airports in the region.
“@FAANews is working to address the source of a strong odor coming from Potomac TRACON that is impacting operations at the three airports,” Duffy wrote.
BREAKING
⚠️ Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
⚠️ Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
⚠️ Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)⁰⚠️ Richmond International Airport (RIC)@FAANews is working to…Should airports halt operations for strong odors affecting air traffic control?— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 13, 2026
BREAKINGIn a preliminary statement, the FAA said it stopped traffic at major airports because the odor was affecting some air traffic controllers working inside the facility.
“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 FAA said in a statement, as posted by Reuters reporter David Shepardson.
Some departures have already resumed after the temporary ground stop tied to the strong odor, according to the FAA’s National Airspace System status website. However, delays and operational restrictions could remain in place until around midnight as crews work to fully restore normal flight traffic.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Marek Ślusarczyk)
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
