Ground Stops Ordered for DC-Area Airports Due to Strong Smell

Federal Aviation Administration officials issued ground stops for flights to multiple airports in the Washington, D.C., region Friday after evacuating a key air traffic control facility in Virginia.

The ground stop affects Ronald Reagan Washington National, Washington Dulles International, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, as well as the Charlottesville and Richmond airports.

The disruption stems from an “environmental” incident at the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in Warrenton, Va., ABC 7 reported. The facility, which manages roughly 20,000 square miles of airspace, directs a large portion of the region’s flights, serving as a critical hub for travel in and out of the nation’s capital.

An FAA spokesperson told reporters that the ground stop was implemented after reports of a strong smell at the facility.

Officials said the evacuation prompted the immediate switch to “ATC ZERO,” effectively halting operations at the radar center, according to CNN Correspondent covering aviation and transportation Pete Muntean. Potomac TRACON is responsible for coordinating complex arrivals and departures in the D.C. corridor, and the temporary shutdown underscores the vulnerability of the airspace system to unexpected incidents.

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