Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Airport in Arlington, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C., U.S. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (IATA: DCA, ICAO: KDCA, FAA LID: DCA), referred to colloquially as Reagan Airport, Reagan National, its former name National Airport, or simply DCA, is a civil airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is the smaller of two commercial airports owned by the federal government and operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) that serve the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area; the larger is Dulles International Airport about 25 miles (40 km) to the west in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.[2][8] The airport is 5 miles (8.0 km) from downtown Washington, D.C.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | United States federal government | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Serves | Washington, D.C., metropolitan area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | June 16, 1941; 82 years ago (1941-06-16) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hub for | American Airlines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupants | Coast Guard Air Station Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 15 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 38°51′8″N 77°2′16″W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FAA's diagram of the airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration,[2] Passenger traffic[3]
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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 former President Ronald Reagan.[9][10][11][12] MWAA operates the airport with close oversight by the federal government due to its proximity to the national capital.
Long distance flights to and from the airport are limited by a perimeter rule which generally prohibits flights longer than 1,250 statute miles (2,010 km) in any direction nonstop, in an effort to send coast-to-coast and overseas traffic to Dulles International Airport, though there are 40 slot exemptions to this rule. Planes are required to take unusually complicated paths to avoid restricted and prohibited airspace above sensitive landmarks, government buildings, and military installations in and around Washington, D.C.,[13] and comply with some of the tightest noise restrictions in the country.[14]
Reagan National serves 98 nonstop destinations as of October 2023[update].[15] It is a hub for American Airlines. Though it is an international airport, it has no immigration and customs facilities, with international flights restricted to those with U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facilities, including major airports in Canada and some destinations in the Caribbean. International passenger flights to and from the Washington metropolitan area primarily utilize Washington Dulles International Airport or Baltimore/Washington International Airport. 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.[16] The airport's main runway is the busiest in the nation.[17]