DC-Area Airports Resuming Operations, Expect Flight Delays

LEESBURG, VA — Passengers are being urged to re-book flights after fumes from construction work near the Washington Center control center in Leesburg caused workers to evacuate the facility and delayed flights into Reagan National and Dulles International airports, federal officials said. BWI Airport is also affected by the slowdown, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

American Airlines at BWI Airport said about 8:30 p.m. that they canceled any flights that were not currently airborne out of the Maryland airport. As the FAA allowed operations to return to normal late Monday, airport officials said that delays would last into Tuesday.

About 9:15 p.m. the FAA said the Leesburg Virginia Fire Department had given the all-clear so air traffic controllers could return to Washington Center. Dulles Airport officials said at 10 p.m. that the control center was starting to resume operations, but the ground stop caused many cancelations and delays.

"We expect residual delays into Tuesday, July 11 as FAA returns to normal operations. Passengers should check with their airline for specific information about their flight," Dulles Airport said via Twitter.

Local fire officials told the Federal Aviation Administration to evacuate the flight center about 6:40 p.m., Dulles Airport officials said on Twitter. The center handles high-altitude flights to all three Washington-Baltimore area airports. (SIGN UP: Subscribe to a Virginia Patch News Alert and Newsletter. For DC readers, Get Patch’s daily newsletter and news alerts. Or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Dulles and Reagan airports are also on a ground stop, with no new flights in or out,NBC Washington reports.

»Patch file photo of Dulles Airport