WASHINGTON (7News) — For the second time in less than a month, flights were temporarily halted at multiple airports across the D.C. region after a strong odor was reported at a key air traffic control facility in Virginia, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA confirmed it stopped traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), as well as airports in Charlottesville and Richmond.
Fauquier County officials said the disruption was caused by a strong smell from an overheated battery inside an IT cabinet at the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in Warrenton, Va., which manages a large portion of the region’s airspace.
Fauquier County crews were called to the facility at around 6:50 p.m., and the ground stop at BWI, CHO, RIC, and IAD was eventually lifted around 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The incident triggered ground stops, with flights delayed or held for extended periods. No one at the facility was injured.
Connection to recent air travel disruptions
On March 13, the FAA said faulty equipment being worked on by a contractor caused a strong odor that prompted an evacuation of the crucial air traffic facility.
That earlier incident also led to ground stops at DCA, IAD, and BWI, stranding passengers and causing ripple effects across the national air travel system.
This time, however, travelers are already facing long lines and delays due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has left thousands of TSA workers without pay.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.