Travellers take a look at a departures display inside a terminal throughout a floor cease at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on March 13, 2026.
| Picture Credit score: AFP
4 airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, halted all flights on Friday (March 13, 2026) night for over an hour due to a powerful chemical scent that was impeding air site visitors controllers, based on the Federal Aviation Administration.
The bottom cease affected Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport, Washington Dulles Worldwide Airport, Baltimore-Washington Worldwide Airport and Richmond Worldwide Airport, FAA Secretary Sean Duffy introduced on social media on Friday (March 13, 2026). The declaration brought on flight delays to soar to roughly two hours throughout a few of the busiest airports within the nation.
Flights started to depart the airports after 7 p.m. ET on Friday (March 13, 2026), however the floor cease — which prevents planes from touchdown at an airport — remained in place.
The scent was coming from Potomac TRACON, Mr. Duffy wrote, referring to a terminal radar strategy management facility that manages air site visitors for the Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, Virginia, and the Richmond-Charlottesville areas, based on the FAA web site.
A spokesperson for the federal company did not reply to an emailed query clarifying how the scent was affecting site visitors controllers on Friday (March 13, 2026) night.
Between 25% and one-third of all flights departing from the 4 airports affected had been delayed after the bottom cease.
Revealed – March 14, 2026 11:54 am IST