Washington, March 14, 2026
A strong chemical odour at a key air traffic control facility in Virginia forced authorities to halt flights at several Washington-area airports, disrupting air travel across the region.
The disruption affected Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Richmond International Airport.
Aviation authorities said the smell originated from the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in Virginia, which manages air traffic for airports in the Washington-Baltimore region and parts of Virginia.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was working to identify the source of the odour affecting operations.
“@FAANews is working to address the source of a strong odor coming from Potomac TRACON that is impacting operations at the three airports,” Duffy wrote in a post on the social platform X.
The FAA issued temporary ground stops that prevented aircraft from landing at the affected airports. Flights resumed later in the evening, though delays persisted as airlines worked to clear the backlog of aircraft.
Officials said the ground stop was imposed after reports of a “strong chemical smell” inside the Potomac TRACON facility, affecting some air traffic controllers responsible for managing flights approaching the busy Washington-area airports. No injuries were reported.
Potomac TRACON is a critical radar approach control facility that coordinates aircraft movements into and out of several major airports serving the US capital region. The facility provides air traffic control services for the Baltimore-Washington and Richmond-Charlottesville areas.
The disruption quickly spread through airline schedules. Aviation data indicated that between roughly one-quarter and one-third of departing flights from the affected airports were delayed after the ground stop was imposed.
Passengers reported extended waits as airlines adjusted operations, media reports said. Some travellers said they remained on aircraft on the tarmac for long periods, while others were asked to deplane as airlines waited for clearance to resume normal departures.
Flights gradually resumed later in the evening, though ground delays persisted for some time as authorities worked to restore normal operations across the busy regional airspace.(Agency)
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