Four airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, halted all flights on Friday evening after the FAA said a strong chemical smell interfered with air traffic operations. The ground stop lasted for more than an hour, according to the FAA, and triggered widespread delays across some of the region’s busiest airports.
FAA Secretary Sean Duffy said the halt affected Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Richmond International Airport. Duffy made the announcement on social media and said the smell was impeding air traffic control, prompting the stop.
The FAA described the ground stop as a measure that prevents planes from landing at an airport. Flights began to leave the airports after 7 p.m. ET on Friday, but the ground stop remained in place, leaving inbound schedules constrained and continuing delays to mount into the evening.
The FAA said the smell originated from Potomac TRACON. Duffy tied the cause to Potomac TRACON, describing it as a terminal radar approach control facility that manages air traffic for the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia areas and also for the Richmond-Charlottesville region.
A spokesperson for the federal agency did not respond to an emailed question seeking clarification on how the smell was affecting air traffic controllers during the Friday evening ground stop. The FAA’s statement did not offer additional detail beyond identifying the source facility and linking the smell to the disruption of air traffic operations.
By the time flights restarted departing activity, the FAA said between 25% and one-third of all flights departing from the four airports affected were delayed after the ground stop.