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Flights at major airports in the Washington, D.C. area were disrupted Friday evening for the second time in two weeks due to a reported “strong odor” at a major air traffic control center.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO) and Richmond International Airport (RIC), the agency told Fox Business in an email.
The FAA said the disruption was caused by a “strong odor” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center, which manages airspace in the area.
Ground stops lifted at major D.C.-area airports after chemical odor disrupted air traffic control
An FAA air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
It was not immediately clear what was causing the smell.
The ground stop at Dulles, Reagan National and BWI remained in effect until about 8 p.m. ET before being lifted, according to the FAA website.
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The FAA said the disruption was caused by a “strong odor” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center. (Flightradar24)
By 8:30 p.m., Reagan National was experiencing ground delays, while BWI continued to experience departure delays.
Earlier this month, ground stops were issued at several airports in the Washington, DC area after a chemical odor was detected at a TRACON center.
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Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy speaks at a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time that the temporary ground stop on March 13 had affected DCA, IAD, BWI and RIC.
Duffy said the smell came from an overheated circuit board, which has been replaced.
