Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Aerial view of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in April 2002
IATA: DCA ICAO: KDCA FAA LID: DCA WMO: 72405
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 / 38.85222°N 77.03778°W / 38.85222; -77.03778
Website	www.flyreagan.com
Maps
FAA's diagram of the airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 01/19 7,169 2,185 Asphalt 04/22 5,000 1,524 Asphalt 15/33 5,204 1,586 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations 310,280 Total passengers 25,453,581
Source: Federal Aviation Administration,[2] Passenger traffic[3] United States historic place Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line U.S. National Register of Historic Places Virginia Landmarks Register Show map of Virginia Show map of the United States Location Thomas Ave. Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. Area 861 acres (348 ha)[5][6] Built 1941 (1941), 83 years ago Architectural style Modern NRHP reference No. 97001111[4] VLR No. 000-0045 Significant dates Added to NRHP September 12, 1997 Designated VLR June 27, 1995[7]

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.

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]