A planned military parade in Washington, D.C.—marking both the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s birthday—will temporarily ground flights at Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Saturday, June 14.
According to airport officials, while DCA will remain open, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to suspend airline operations to allow for military aircraft flyovers along the parade route, followed by an evening fireworks display.
The military parade—which is expected to include 6,700 soldiers, 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks, as well as 50 aircraft (including Black Hawk and Chinook) overhead—is slated to last three hours, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (EST), according to Newsweek. All flight operations are expected to be paused during this time, which the FAA is referring to as “peak celebration.”
Roughly 100 flights may be affected, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company. “Sixty-five flights arrive between 1800–2200 on June 14, and 35 flights depart during the same period,” Mike Arnot, Cirium’s spokesperson, told Afar in an email.
Experts say the anticipated flight interruptions mark an unusually extensive DCA closure for a federal event. “This is for a much longer time and much more impactful to Reagan International Airport than we usually see,” says Michael J. McCormick, associate professor and program coordinator for Air Traffic Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He notes that special-event flight suspensions, like military flyovers, are typically scheduled at least a year in advance and tailored to minimize disruption to commercial service.
Although the scope remains uncertain, delays and cancellations are possible. “Customers with flight reservations for the evening of June 14 should check the status of their flights directly with their airline,” said Crystal L. Nosal, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, in an email statement. Travelers are advised to monitor their airline apps and prepare for schedule changes.
“We canceled one flight to SFO [from DCA] and rebooked those passengers out of IAD [Washington (Dulles), D.C.],” said Alaska Air in an email. “And then three delays we’re estimating to be approximately an hour long.”
Customers may change their origin or destination from DCA to Baltimore/Washington, MD – BWI or Washington (Dulles), D.C. – IAD on June 14 without paying any additional charge on Southwest Airlines, according to spokesperson Brad Hawkins. Otherwise, he said in an email statement, “We have about 20 flights that operate into and out of DCA during the anticipated airspace closure. We don’t anticipate any cancellations. Our teams are already working to make sure customers are aware and can plan accordingly.”
A Delta spokesperson told Afar via email, “At this time, we expect only a small number of operational adjustments. We’ll work with customers on any needed re-accommodation and look forward to serving them in the D.C. area.” The airline has also issued a travel waiver to give customers additional flexibility in rebooking their travel.
For the latest updates, travelers should visit fly.faa.gov.
