Flights were grounded at three major DC-area airports on Friday night because of a “strong odor” emanating from an air traffic control center, officials said.
A ground stop was issued at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on X.
Richmond International Airport in Virginia was also impacted by the ground stop, according to Duffy.
The Federal Aviation Administration “is working to address the source of a strong odor coming from Potomac TRACON that is impacting operations at the three airports,” the transportation secretary said.
Potomac Consolidated TRACON is a facility that provides air traffic control to the affected airports.