FAA lifts ground stops at Reagan National, other D.C.-area airports after chemical smell disrupts controllers

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted ground stops Friday evening at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and other major airports serving the Washington, D.C., region after a strong chemical smell at a key air traffic control facility forced a temporary halt to operations.

The disruptions began around 4:50 p.m. when the FAA issued ground stops at Reagan National (DCA), Washington Dulles International (IAD) and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) airports. The agency cited a “strong chemical smell” at the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in Warrenton, Virginia, about 50 miles west of the capital, that was impacting some air traffic controllers.

The Potomac TRACON manages approach and departure traffic for the busy airspace covering the D.C. metropolitan area, as well as Richmond International Airport (RIC) in Virginia, which also fell under a ground stop. Additional airports in the facility’s coverage area, including Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport and Manassas Regional Airport, experienced similar restrictions. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) faced ground delays tied to the regional ripple effects.

FAA officials initially described the issue as an “equipment outage” on their status page, but later clarified in statements that the odor was the primary cause, affecting controller operations. The agency did not immediately identify the source of the smell or confirm whether it posed a health risk, though no injuries or evacuations were reported at the TRACON facility.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the situation on social media, stating that the FAA was actively investigating the odor and working to resolve it. “The FAA is investigating a strong odor coming from Potomac TRACON,” Duffy posted. In follow-up updates, officials emphasized efforts to “address the source of the strong odor.”

By approximately 7:45 p.m., the FAA lifted the full ground stops at DCA, IAD and BWI. Flights resumed under ground delay programs, with some departures facing waits of up to three hours or more into the overnight period Friday into Saturday. Dulles reported departure delays climbing to 90 minutes and increasing during the peak of the disruption.

Passengers at the affected airports reported long lines and uncertainty as airlines scrambled to manage the backlog. At Reagan National, located along the Potomac River just minutes from downtown Washington, travelers posted photos of crowded terminals and gates with delayed or canceled flights. Similar scenes unfolded at Dulles, the region’s main international gateway, and BWI, which serves as a major hub for Southwest Airlines.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of the nation’s air traffic system to even localized issues at control facilities. The Potomac TRACON handles thousands of flights daily in one of the country’s most congested airspaces, where military operations, commercial traffic and presidential movements frequently overlap.

FAA spokesperson Donnell Evans confirmed in an email that the smell directly affected controllers, prompting the precautionary halt to prevent safety risks. “The FAA has temporarily stopped traffic … because of a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON that is impacting some air traffic controllers,” Evans said.

Authorities have not released details on what caused the odor, though some social media speculation from aviation observers suggested possible HVAC issues, maintenance chemicals or an environmental factor at the facility. The FAA said investigations were ongoing, with no immediate indication of foul play or a hazardous materials incident requiring broader emergency response.

As operations normalized, airlines began issuing waivers for rebooking and changes without fees. Travelers were advised to check flight status directly with carriers or through the FAA’s flight status tools.

The ground stop lasted roughly three hours at its peak, a relatively short duration compared to past major disruptions but enough to create cascading delays across the East Coast. By late Friday evening, the focus shifted to recovery, with controllers reportedly back online after the facility addressed the immediate concerns.

The FAA urged passengers to monitor fly.faa.gov for real-time updates. No further ground stops were anticipated as of late Friday, though residual delays were expected to persist into Saturday morning.

This incident marks another reminder of how sensitive the aviation network is to issues beyond weather or mechanical problems at individual airports. Officials have not indicated any long-term impact on operations.