Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (IATA: DCA, ICAO: KDCA, FAA LID: DCA) is a civil airport located in Crystal City, in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, 5 miles (8.0 km) from Washington, D.C. It is the closest airport to Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, the 23rd-busiest airport in the nation, and the busiest airport in both the Washington metropolitan area and the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area.
For the Metro station, see Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Public
June 16, 1941[1]
15 ft / 5 m
310,280
310,280
25,453,581
Thomas Ave.
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Thomas Ave.
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
1941, 83 years ago
000-0045
September 12, 1997
June 27, 1995[7]
The airport opened in 1941 and was originally named Washington National Airport. Part of the original terminal is still in use as Terminal 1. A larger second terminal, now known as Terminal 2, opened in 1997. In 1998, Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed a bill renaming the airport in honor of the 40th president of the United States Ronald Reagan, who was in office from 1981 to 1989.[8][9][10][11]
Reagan National serves 98 nonstop destinations as of October 2023.[12] It is a hub for American Airlines. It is an international airport, but has no immigration and customs facilities and international flights are restricted to those with U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facilities, including major airports in Canada and some destinations in the Caribbean. Reagan National is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Washington.
The airport served over 25.4 million passengers in 2023, the second most of any of the three airports serving the region, and a new passenger record for the airport.[13] The airport's main runway is the busiest in the nation.[14]
The airport is owned by the federal government and operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) that serve the Washington metropolitan area; the other, also located in Northern Virginia is Dulles International Airport, located about 25 miles (40 km) to the west in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.[2][15]
Long title
An Act to rename the Washington National Airport located in the District of Columbia and Virginia as the “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport”.
February 6, 1998
History[edit]
20th century[edit]
The first airport in the area was Arlington's Hoover Field, which opened in 1926.[16] Near the present site of The Pentagon, its single runway was crossed by a street; guards had to stop automobile traffic during takeoffs and landings. The following year, in 1927, Washington Airport, another privately operated field, began service next door.[1] In 1930, the Great Depression led the two terminals to merge to form Washington-Hoover Airport. Bordered on the east by U.S. Route 1, with its accompanying high-tension electrical wires, and obstructed by a high smokestack on one approach and a dump nearby, the field was inadequate.[17]
Abingdon plantation historical site[edit]
A part of the airport is located on the former site of the 18th and 19th century Abingdon plantation, which was associated with the prominent Alexander, Custis, Stuart, and Hunter families.[107] In 1998, MWAA opened a historical display around the restored remnants of two Abingdon buildings and placed artifacts collected from the site in an exhibit hall in Terminal A.[108][109] The Abingdon site is located on a knoll between parking Garage A and Garage B/C, near the south end of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station.[108][110][111][112]
Accidents and incidents[edit]
Page Airways[edit]
On April 27, 1945, a Page Airways Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar on a charter flight[113] crashed into a deep ditch at the end of runway 33 after aborting a takeoff due to engine failure. There were strong gusts and ground turbulence at the time. Out of the 13 passengers and crew on board, six passengers were killed.[114] Although a contemporary newspaper report indicated that the flight's intended destination had been Rochester, New York,[113] the Civil Aeronautics Board's accident investigation report stated that the destination had been New York, N.Y.[114]
