The Reagan National Airport announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspended flights at all commercial airports in the Washington D.C. area for an extended period on the night of Friday, March 13.
The affected terminals —Thurgood Marshall Baltimore–Washington International (BWI), Reagan National (DCA) and Dulles International (IAD)— will keep ground operations halted until at least 8:00 PM, according to the FAA alert page.
According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, this measure will cause significant delays and various cancellations for the rest of the day.
Passengers were urged to check the updated status of their flights directly with each airline, due to schedule changes caused by the federal decision.
According to the FAA, the
presence of chemical odor was detected at the
Potomac TRACON facility, an approach control center in
Warrentton, Virginia, about
80 kilometers from Washington D.C.
This agency coordinates air traffic in the region, excluding immediate takeoff and landing. The information was confirmed by the federal agency in communication with Telemundo 47.
The
repairs on a collapsed underground pipe this year by
DC Water are nearing completion, sources told
News4 this Friday.
The incident caused the discharge of
more than 240 million gallons (approximately
908 million liters) of wastewater and sewage into the Potomac, according to data reported by
NBC Washington and corroborated by
Sherri Lewis, spokesperson for the responsible entity.
Repercussions in airports and air traffic
The
FAA reported
delays of up to 90 minutes on departures from
Dulles International, a figure that could increase. The
Philadelphia International Airport also recorded delays due to
equipment failures.
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Sherri Lewis announced that the
pipeline could
return to service as soon as the repair tasks are completed.
