What happened
AI-written · may contain mistakes. Written from the advisory text and weather only.
Cause: Thunderstorms near the airport led air traffic control to hold flights heading there, with light rain and distant lightning reported nearby.
The ground stop began at 22:09 UTC on October 16 and was widened to departures from more air traffic control centers within half an hour. It was extended twice, first to 8:15 pm EDT and then to 9:00 pm EDT, and some centers were released at 00:08 UTC. The stop ended at 01:00 UTC on October 17, after 2 hours 51 minutes.
Impact by airline
Flights to and from DCA scheduled during the ground stop and the hour after it. Delayed means 15+ minutes late.
- Flights
- 221
- Delayed
- 168
- Cancelled
- 15
- Arrivals / departures
- 139 / 82
| Airline | Flights | Delayed / cancelled | Avg delay | On ground | Holding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Airlines OH | 66 | 50 / 5 | 113 min | 3 | — |
| Republic Airways YX | 39 | 32 / 1 | 88 min | 7 | — |
| American Airlines AA | 32 | 28 / 0 | 122 min | 8 | — |
| Southwest Airlines WN | 19 | 11 / 5 | 90 min | 4 | — |
| Envoy Air MQ | 14 | 11 / 2 | 63 min | 2 | — |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 15 | 11 / 0 | 156 min | 3 | — |
| United Airlines UA | 10 | 9 / 0 | 86 min | 3 | — |
| JetBlue B6 | 9 | 6 / 0 | 78 min | 5 | — |
| Jazz QK | 6 | 4 / 2 | 108 min | — | — |
| Endeavor Air 9E | 3 | 3 / 0 | 167 min | 1 | — |
| GoJet Airlines G7 | 3 | 2 / 0 | 159 min | — | — |
| Alaska Airlines AS | 4 | 1 / 0 | 32 min | 1 | — |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 1 | 0 / 0 | — | 1 | — |
Delayed 15+ min CancelledOn ground / holding: most seen at once.
Held at origin
Flights to DCA still on the ground at their origin 15+ minutes past their scheduled departure while the stop was in effect. Held time is minutes past the scheduled departure.
- Held at origin
- 67
- Average held
- 1 hr 37 min
- Longest
- 6 hr 46 min
44 from airports in the stop's scope; 23 from outside it, late for other reasons. Of the held flights, 5 since departed and 3 cancelled.
By origin
| Origin | Scope | Held | Avg | Longest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT Pittsburgh | In scope | 7 | 1 hr 28 min | 2 hr 42 min |
| BOS Boston | In scope | 5 | 1 hr 45 min | 3 hr 7 min |
| ORF Norfolk | In scope | 4 | 48 min | 1 hr 7 min |
| RIC Richmond | In scope | 3 | 51 min | 1 hr 27 min |
| ATL Atlanta | In scope | 2 | 1 hr 8 min | 1 hr 52 min |
| CVG Hebron | In scope | 2 | 3 hr 37 min | 3 hr 37 min |
| LGA New York | In scope | 2 | 1 hr 5 min | 1 hr 22 min |
| RDU Morrisville | In scope | 2 | 1 hr 25 min | 2 hr 22 min |
| BDL Windsor Locks | In scope | 1 | 36 min | 36 min |
| BHM Birmingham | In scope | 1 | 2 hr 40 min | 2 hr 40 min |
| BTV Burlington | In scope | 1 | 3 hr 31 min | 3 hr 31 min |
| BUF Buffalo | In scope | 1 | 2 hr 25 min | 2 hr 25 min |
| CAE Columbia | In scope | 1 | 1 hr 24 min | 1 hr 24 min |
| CHS Charleston | In scope | 1 | 1 hr 9 min | 1 hr 9 min |
| CLE Cleveland | In scope | 1 | 1 hr 27 min | 1 hr 27 min |
By airline
| Airline | Held | Avg | Longest |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Airlines OH | 24 | 1 hr 36 min | 6 hr 46 min |
| Republic Airways YX | 14 | 1 hr 15 min | 2 hr 46 min |
| American Airlines AA | 8 | 1 hr 57 min | 3 hr 54 min |
| Envoy Air MQ | 5 | 1 hr 10 min | 2 hr 25 min |
| Southwest Airlines WN | 5 | 1 hr 55 min | 4 hr 15 min |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 3 | 1 hr 37 min | 2 hr 27 min |
| Endeavor Air 9E | 2 | 2 hr 2 min | 3 hr 37 min |
| Jazz QK | 2 | 1 hr 30 min | 2 hr 17 min |
| United Airlines UA | 2 | 2 hr 42 min | 2 hr 43 min |
| GoJet Airlines G7 | 1 | 2 hr 42 min | 2 hr 42 min |
Inbound in the air and diversions
Flights to DCA that had departed and not yet landed, at each arrivals board sample while the stop was in effect, and inbound flights that landed somewhere else instead.
- Peak in the air
- 69
- Diverted
- 0
In the air to DCA
In the air at the peak (Oct 16, 8:10 PM EDT), by airline
- PSA Airlines OH19
- American Airlines AA11
- Republic Airways YX8
- Southwest Airlines WN7
- Delta Air Lines DL6
- Envoy Air MQ4
- JetBlue B64
- United Airlines UA4
Diversions
No inbound flight has been seen diverting during this stop.
Impact by region
Arrivals by the air traffic control center they departed from. Held: departures from that center were stopped.
| Center | Status | Arrivals | Delayed | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Center (ZBW) | Held | 17 | 16 | 1 |
| Atlanta Center (ZTL) | Held | 12 | 9 | 2 |
| Washington Center (ZDC) | Held | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| Cleveland Center (ZOB) | Held | 10 | 7 | 1 |
| Jacksonville Center (ZJX) | Held | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| New York Center (ZNY) | Held | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Center (ZID) | Held | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Outside the US centers | Not held | 17 | 13 | 1 |
| Chicago Center (ZAU) | Not held | 12 | 8 | 1 |
| Miami Center (ZMA) | Not held | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| Kansas City Center (ZKC) | Not held | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Memphis Center (ZME) | Not held | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Houston Center (ZHU) | Not held | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Center (ZLA) | Not held | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Fort Worth Center (ZFW) | Not held | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Albuquerque Center (ZAB) | Not held | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Minneapolis Center (ZMP) | Not held | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Denver Center (ZDV) | Not held | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle Center (ZSE) | Not held | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| San Juan Center (ZSU) | Not held | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Aircraft at the airport
Peak 35 on the ground, 0 holding nearby.
On the ground Holding nearby
Timeline
Every change published while the ground stop was in effect, as seen each minute.
Ground stop issued at DCA for low ceilings, until 7:15 pm EDT. Departures held from ZOB.
Scope widened: departures now also held from ZTL, ZDC, ZNY, ZJX and 2 more.
New advisory issued.
Read the advisory ↗Reason changed to low.
Extended until 8:15 pm EDT.
Reason changed to low ceilings.
Scope widened: departures now also held from ZAU, ZHU, ZMA, ZKC and 2 more.
New advisory issued.
Read the advisory ↗Scope narrowed: departures from ZAU, ZHU, ZMA, ZKC and 2 more released.
Reason changed to thunderstorms.
Extended until 9:00 pm EDT.
Ground stop ended after 2 hr 51 min.
Advisories
The air traffic control advisories issued for this ground stop, as published.
ATCSCC ADVZY 007 DCA/ZDC 10/17/2026 CDM GROUND STOP
CTL ELEMENT: DCA ELEMENT TYPE: APT ADL TIME: 0004Z GROUND STOP PERIOD: 16/2354Z - 17/0100Z CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 16/1215Z - 17/0259Z DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED: (Manual) ZTL ZDC ZNY ZJX ZOB ZBW ZID CYHZ CYOW CYUL CYYZ CYTZ CYQB PREVIOUS TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 3861 / 774 / 80 NEW TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 5793 / 793 / 121 PROBABILITY OF EXTENSION: MEDIUM IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / THUNDERSTORMS COMMENTS: REDUCED SCOPE TO 1ST TIER, 2ND TIER FACILITIES RELEASED FROM GROUND STOP.Original advisory ↗
ATCSCC ADVZY 169 DCA/ZDC 10/16/2026 CDM GROUND STOP
CTL ELEMENT: DCA ELEMENT TYPE: APT ADL TIME: 2259Z GROUND STOP PERIOD: 16/2212Z - 17/0015Z CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 16/1215Z - 17/0259Z DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED: (Manual) ZAU ZTL ZDC ZNY ZHU ZJX ZOB ZBW ZMA ZKC ZME ZID ZMP CYHZ CYOW CYUL CYYZ CYTZ CYQB PREVIOUS TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 1685 / 139 / 42 NEW TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 3555 / 199 / 89 PROBABILITY OF EXTENSION: MEDIUM IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / LOW CEILINGS COMMENTS: LACK OF DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL GATES. THROUGH PUT CONCERNS. SCOPE EXPANDED 2ND TIER + CZY.Original advisory ↗
ATCSCC ADVZY 164 DCA/ZDC 10/16/2026 CDM GROUND STOP
CTL ELEMENT: DCA ELEMENT TYPE: APT ADL TIME: 2227Z GROUND STOP PERIOD: 16/2212Z - 16/2315Z CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 16/1215Z - 17/0259Z DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED: (Manual) ZTL ZDC ZNY ZJX ZOB ZBW ZID CYHZ CYOW CYUL CYYZ CYTZ CYQB PREVIOUS TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 774 / 152 / 46 NEW TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 1319 / 186 / 78 PROBABILITY OF EXTENSION: MEDIUM IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / LOW CEILINGS COMMENTS: FINALS AFFECTED BY THUNDERSTORMS. TERMINAL IMPACT LIKELY.Original advisory ↗
ATCSCC ADVZY 153 DCA/ZDC 10/16/2026 CDM GROUND STOP
CTL ELEMENT: DCA ELEMENT TYPE: APT ADL TIME: 2204Z GROUND STOP PERIOD: 16/2154Z - 16/2315Z CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 16/1215Z - 17/0259Z DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED: (Manual) ZOB PREVIOUS TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 43 / 39 / 14 NEW TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 175 / 109 / 58 PROBABILITY OF EXTENSION: MEDIUM IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / LOW CEILINGS COMMENTS: DUE TO LACK OF ROUTESOriginal advisory ↗