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Ground stop lifted at D.C. area airports after chemical smell

Flights resumed after being halted at four Washington, D.C., area airports Friday evening over a chemical odor at a radar facility that was affecting air traffic controllers, officials said.

Ground stops were issued at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; Washington Dulles International Airport; Baltimore-Washington International Airport; and Richmond International Airport shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to transportation authorities.

The ground stops were lifted by around 8 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration’s website said, but airports warned there could be residual delays Friday night.

Travelers look at a departures screen inside a terminal during a ground stop at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Friday.Drew Angerer / AFP – Getty Images

The « strong chemical smell » was reported at the Potomac TRACON, which stands for Terminal Radar Approach Control, and was « impacting some air traffic controllers, » the FAA said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the FAA was was working to address the source of the odor.

« Airlines are once again resuming regular operations and preparing departures. Expect residual delays this evening, » Baltimore-Washington International Airport announced on X at 8 p.m.

The Potomac TRACON building that experienced the trouble is in Northern Virginia, it said.


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