Security emergency shuts down flights at Washington DC airport as transport secretary
Flights have been halted at Washington, DC‘s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday due to a security emergency.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop, freezing all departing flights to Ronald Reagan National (DCA) between 11:18am and 12:30pm ET, the alert reads.
The emergency struck just minutes before US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a stark warning about the impact of the government shutdown on the airline industry.
‘If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,’ he said. ‘You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it.’
Today marks the 35th day of the government shutdown, which has prompted air traffic controllers and TSA agents to call out due to unpaid wages, causing widespread delays at airports across the US.
The ground stop at DCA, however, was not triggered because of staffing shortages. The FAA classified the probability of extension as ‘medium,’ meaning the situation was still being evaluated at the time of the notice.
In FAA terminology, ‘security’ can refer to a range of situations, from a threat investigation, restricted-area breach, or terminal evacuation to a temporary airspace lockdown in the nation’s capital.
This is a developing story… More updates to come.
Flights have been halted at Washington, DC’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday due to a security emergency
Travelers have been urged to check departures and arrivals during the ground stop
About 820 flights have been impacted by the ground stop, with maximum delays of 66 minutes and average delays of 33 minutes.
The ground stop affected flights from multiple regional air traffic centers, including those overseeing New York, Washington, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Boston, and Indianapolis, according to the alert.
Flight radar around DCA captured several planes circling the airport during the ground stop, while others are diverting to other locations.
Daily Mail has contacted DCA for comment.
A traveler at the airport shared a video showing what they said was the runway, with emergency vehicles flashing their lights and sounding sirens