Flights in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will be suspended on June 14 during the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday celebration in the nation’s capital.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it will put traffic management initiatives in place to halt flights in and out of the airport before, during and after the celebration.
The all-day event includes a festival on the National Mall, parade, concert and fireworks. Airport officials said the traffic stop is due to the aircraft flyovers scheduled for the parade as well as the fireworks.
Reagan National is 3 miles from the White House by air.
The FAA did not say when the flights will stop and resume, but the birthday parade is slated to start at 6:30 p.m., with the fireworks scheduled to start at 9:45 p.m.
An unnamed senior government official told WRC-TV that about 115 flights will be affected.
Crystal Nosal, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs the airport, told WTOP-FM that they expect the ground stop to be “much longer” than the one put in place each year for the city’s Fourth of July fireworks.
The FAA also will issue temporary flight restrictions for the Washington area, including expanding the 17-mile flight restricted zone around the airport and the 33-mile special flight rules area that surrounds the zone.
The FAA said it is still working with the Army to finalize the flyover plans for the parade. Boat traffic around the District also will be restricted. The Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region said a restricted zone will be established in the water from the 14th Street Bridge to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and the Tidal Basin.
From 1-10 p.m. on June 14, no people and no vessels will be allowed in the zone.
From 2 p.m. on June 13 to 1 p.m. on June 14, those trying to enter the zone may need to get permission from the sector’s Captain of the Port via radio or telephone.
