FAA issues ground stop over strong chemical odor, causing flight delays across DC, Baltimore, and Richmond.
Washington: Flights at four airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Richmond, Virginia, were halted for over an hour on Friday evening due to a strong chemical odor that was disrupting air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.
The ground stop impacted Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Richmond International Airport, FAA Secretary Sean Duffy announced on social media. The move led to flight delays of up to approximately two hours at some of the nation’s busiest airports.
Flights started departing the airports after 7 p.m. ET on Friday, though the ground stop—which prohibits planes from landing—remained in effect.
The odor originated from Potomac TRACON, FAA Secretary Sean Duffy wrote, referring to the terminal radar approach control facility that manages air traffic for Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, Virginia, and the Richmond–Charlottesville areas, according to the FAA website.
A spokesperson for the agency did not respond to an emailed request for clarification on how the smell affected air traffic controllers Friday evening.
Between 25% and one-third of all departures from the four affected airports experienced delays following the ground stop.
