Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reagan National in September 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | United States government | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Washington, D.C. metro area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | June 16, 1941 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hub for | American Airlines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupants | Coast Guard Air Station Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | EST (UTC−05:00) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−04:00) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 5 m / 15 ft | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°51′8″N 77°2′16″W / 38.85222°N 77.03778°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | flyreagan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration, Passenger traffic
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (IATA: DCA, ICAO: KDCA, FAA LID: DCA) is a public airport in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, five miles (eight kilometers; four nautical miles) from Washington, D.C. The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) that serve the Washington metropolitan area; the other is Dulles International Airport (IAD), located about 25 miles (40 km; 22 nmi) to the west in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
The airport opened in 1941 and was originally named Washington National Airport. Part of the original terminal is still in use as Terminal 1. The much larger 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.
Reagan National serves 98 nonstop destinations as of October 2023. It is a hub for American Airlines. The airport hosts international flights, but has no immigration and customs facilities, restricting routes to those with U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facilities, primarily major airports in Canada and the Caribbean. Reagan National is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Washington.
One of the 25 busiest airports in the U.S., the busiest airport in the Washington metropolitan area, and the second busiest in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area, the airport served 26.29 million passengers in 2024, an increase of 3.3% over a record set in 2023. The airport's main runway is the busiest in the nation.
In 2025, the airport faced controversy over safety concerns following a spate of incidents.