National Airport | ARLnow.com

Biden flies commercial from Reagan National Airport and winds up stuck in delays like everyone else

Published February 27, 2026 at 2:05PM

President Joe Biden is seen on a plane before takeoff traveling from Washington to South Carolina, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A crowd gathered at a commuter gate at Reagan National Airport on Friday as fog-laden Washington skies caused an hourlong ground stop that backed up passengers hoping to head out from American Airlines’ Terminal D.

But soon the already densely packed area swelled even more, as word spread across nearby gates that, of the hundreds of air travelers coming and going, only one among them was accompanied by a U.S. Secret Service detail, along with uniformed local police officers: former President Joe Biden.

News

Reagan National confirms its lowest air traffic numbers in three years

By Scott McCaffrey

Published February 25, 2026 at 1:45PM

A Delta flight at the gate at Reagan National Airport (staff photo)

Reagan National Airport recorded its lowest annual passenger count in three years in 2025, even as Dulles International Airport set an all-time record.

Just under 24.9 million passengers traveled through DCA last year, down 5.3% from 26.3 million in 2024, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) reported yesterday (Tuesday) — confirming preliminary numbers released last month.

News

Sens. Warner and Kaine promise bill to reduce flights at Reagan National

By Scott McCaffrey

Published February 23, 2026 at 8:30AM

Boats and the U.S. Park Police helicopter search the Potomac River the morning after the mid-air collision and crash (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Virginia’s two U.S. senators say they will try again to reduce air traffic and take other steps to address safety concerns at Reagan National Airport.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are throwing their support behind the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) final report into the January 2025 midair collision near the airport

Around Town

New cafe and wine bar plan spring openings amid Crystal City renovation project

By Jared Serre

Published February 19, 2026 at 11:45AM

A rendering of Constellation (photo courtesy of Episcope Hospitality)

It will take a little longer than expected for two “exploration-inspired” businesses to open their doors in Crystal City.

As renovations continue at 2011 Crystal Drive, Altitude Wine Bar and Constellation cafe and gourmet market have pushed back their expected openings to early this spring, a spokesperson for developer Episcope Hospitality told ARLnow.

News

Grieving families press Congress on aviation safety reforms after midair collision

By The Associated Press

Published February 12, 2026 at 5:15PM

An airplane takes off behind the control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on the anniversary of the Potomac River mid-air collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Blackhawk helicopter, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Key senators and the families of the 67 dead in an airliner collision with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital are convinced that advanced aircraft locator systems recommended by experts for nearly two decades would have prevented last year’s tragedy.

But it remains unclear if Congress will pass a bill requiring every plane and helicopter to use them around every busy airport.

News

Crystal City Metro station closed for construction this weekend

By Dan Egitto

Published February 11, 2026 at 9:15AM

The Crystal City Metro station in 2018 (staff photo)

Travelers heading south to Reagan National Airport should budget extra time this weekend because the Crystal City Metro station will be closed.

The station will be closed from Saturday, Feb. 14, through Monday, Feb. 16, in the first of 10 weekend closures between now and June.

News

Measles exposure reported at Reagan National Airport

By ARLnow.com

Published February 7, 2026 at 11:45AM | Updated February 8, 2026 at 1:54AM

Ticketing at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A pre-school age child with measles traveled through Reagan National Airport and on a Yellow Line Metro train last week.

That’s according to an alert from the Virginia Dept. of Health. The child “is a resident of another state and traveled through Ronald Reagan Washington National airport on January 26,” VDH said.

News

Reagan National’s noisiest planes are far less common than a decade ago

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 27, 2026 at 8:30AM

An airplane takes off from Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reagan National Airport has seen a significant decline in the loudest aircraft types over the past decade, but some advocates say it’s not enough to mitigate the impacts of increased flight operations.

Stage 3 commercial aircraft — the noisiest in current fleets — have declined from 21% of all operations in 2015 to 2% in 2025 at Reagan National, while Stage 4 and Stage 5 aircraft have increased from 79% to 98% of the total, according to Michael Jeck, the noise office manager at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).

News

All flights canceled today at Reagan National due to snow

By Dan Egitto

Published January 25, 2026 at 11:35AM

Reagan National Airport in the snow (via Reagan National/X)

All flights at Reagan National Airport have been canceled today (Sunday) due to the winter storm.

Travelers are advised to check with their airlines to confirm or rebook, the airport announced earlier this morning.

News

Reagan National saw 5% fewer passengers after federal layoffs, midair crash in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 23, 2026 at 3:00PM

Reagan National Airport (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A year with multiple challenges led to a 5% passenger-traffic decline at Reagan National Airport in 2025.

Federal job cuts, the seven-week government shutdown, wintry weather and the aftermath of the fatal midair crash over the Potomac River all affected total passenger levels for the year, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) President Jack Potter said.

News

FAA is making the rules imposed after an airliner collided with an Army helicopter permanent

By The Associated Press

Published January 23, 2026 at 9:15AM

Boats and the U.S. Park Police helicopter search the Potomac River the morning after the mid-air collision and crash (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The temporary rules imposed after last year’s collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter to improve the safety of the crowded airspace around Washington D.C. are being made permanent, the government announced Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration took steps to make sure that helicopters and airplanes would no longer share the same airspace around Reagan National Airport shortly after the investigation into the Jan. 29 crash began. The rules also prohibit air traffic controllers from relying on visual separation and require all military aircraft to broadcast their locations.

News

Series of weekend Metro closures coming to Crystal City and Reagan National

By Dan Egitto

Published January 12, 2026 at 3:45PM

The forthcoming east entrance to the Crystal City Metro station (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A series of weekend closures at the Crystal City and Reagan National Airport Metro stations is taking place between February and June.

Blue and Yellow Line trains won’t run in affected areas during the closures, which are for passenger and crew safety during the construction of a second entrance to the Crystal City station.