The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops for several airports in the Washington, D.C., area on Friday evening due to a 'strong smell' reported at an air traffic control centre. The temporary halts affected Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport, and Richmond International Airport.
The FAA lifted the ground stops less than two hours after they were issued around 6:40 p.m. local time. The source of the odour was reported at the Potomac Consolidated Terminal RADAR Approach Control (TRACON) in Warrenton, Virginia. The cause of the smell remains unclear, and the FAA has been contacted for further information.
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that over 170 flights were delayed at Baltimore's airport, more than 200 at Dulles, and over 300 at Reagan National. The incident comes as travellers face long security lines due to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
This is the second such occurrence in two weeks at the same facility. On March 13, a similar 'strong odour' led to ground stops, with over 30 FAA employees evaluated but none hospitalised. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed that incident to an overheated circuit board, which was replaced.
