WASHINGTON (7News) — Thunderstorms caused significant flight disruptions Sunday evening at the three major airports serving the Washington, D.C., region, prompting ground stops, lengthy delays and dozens of cancellations.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System Status website, flights bound for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were subject to a ground delay program from 8:30 p.m. until 12:59 a.m. Monday because of thunderstorms.
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The FAA said departures to Reagan National were delayed by an average of 121 minutes. The delay program applies to departures within 1,000 nautical miles, including all departures from the contiguous United States and select flights departing from Canada. All affected flights were assigned expected departure clearance times.
Flight disruptions were also reported at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The FAA issued a ground stop from 7:24 p.m. to 10 p.m. due to thunderstorms, halting departures bound for BWI at designated air traffic control centers. The agency said the probability of extending the ground stop was medium, between 30% and 60%.
At Washington Dulles International Airport, the FAA implemented a ground stop from 8:45 p.m. until 10 p.m. due to thunderstorms. The agency said departures to Dulles from several northeastern and Canadian air traffic facilities were temporarily grounded.
In addition to the ground stop, the FAA reported that departures from Dulles were experiencing average delays of 120 minutes, with delays increasing because of weather-related traffic management initiatives.
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According to FlightAware’s MiseryMap, Reagan National Airport had 41 delays and 23 cancellations as of 9:37 p.m.
The disruptions came as thunderstorms moved through the Washington, D.C. region, affecting both arriving and departing flights at the area’s busiest airports.
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