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# Richmond airport traffic stopped Friday night due to 'strong odor' at air traffic control facility
- URL: https://www.richmonder.org/richmond-airport-traffic-stopped-due-to-strong-odor-at-air-traffic-control-facility/
- Published: 2026-03-13T23:39:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-27T01:55:23.000Z
- Description: Richmond International Airport, along with all three D.C.-area airports, stopped all air traffic on Friday night.
- Author: Richmonder Staff
- Tags: Local News

Richmond International Airport, along with all three D.C.-area airports, stopped all air traffic for more than an hour on Friday night after a "strong odor" caused the shutdown of a regional air traffic control facility.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy [announced the closure](https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/2032582233920307569?s=20) on social media. The odor impacted the Potomac TRACON facility, which directs air traffic in the region.

The facility is in Warrenton, Virginia.

CNN later reported that the smell was from a [burned circuit board](https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/13/us/washington-dc-airports-ground-stop).

Shortly before 8 p.m., the stop was lifted and flights were allowed to resume.

*This has been a breaking news update*

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