Public Safety and Critical Infrastructure

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop Friday evening at four major airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Richmond after a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON air‑traffic control facility began affecting controllers. FAA Secretary Sean Duffy said on social media that arrivals and departures were halted for just over an hour at Reagan National, Dulles International, Baltimore–Washington International and Richmond International airports, sending delays at some of the nation’s busiest hubs to roughly two hours and disrupting between one-quarter and one-third of departing flights. Flights began leaving again after 7 p.m. ET, but the inbound ground stop remained in place as officials worked through the backlog and assessed conditions. The FAA did not immediately explain the source of the odor or precisely how it was impairing controllers, raising questions online about occupational safety in crowded control centers and the vulnerability of centralized facilities that manage dense East Coast airspace.