The planned military parade in Washington, D.C. (marking both the 250th anniversary of the US Army and the birthday of President Donald Trump) will be aired temporarily at Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Saturday, June 14th.
The DCA will remain open, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will suspend airline operations to allow military aircraft to fly along the parade route, followed by an evening fireworks display.
The military parade, which is expected to include 6,700 soldiers, a 28 M1A1 Abrams tank and 50 aircraft (including the Black Hawk and Chinook), is scheduled for three hours between 6:30pm and 9:30pm. Newsweek. All flight operations are expected to be suspended during this period, and the FAA calls it a “peek celebration.”
About 100 flights could be affected, according to data from aerial analytics firm Cirium. “Flight 65 will depart from 1,800-2,200 people on June 14th, with 35 departing over the same period,” Cirium spokesman Mike Arnot told Afar in an email.
Experts say the expected flight interruption marks an unusually widespread DCA closure of federal events. “This is much longer than we see and will be much more impactful for Reagan International Airport,” says Michael J. McCormick, associate professor and program coordinator of air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He points out that flight halts for special events, such as military flyovers, are usually scheduled at least a year ago and are coordinated to minimize disruptions in commercial services.
The scope remains uncertain, but delays and cancellations are possible. “Customers who book flights on the evening of June 14th will need to check the status of their flights directly with the airline,” Crystal L. Northal, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said in an emailed statement. Travelers are encouraged to monitor the airline’s apps and prepare for changes in schedules.
“We canceled one flight to the SFO (from the DCA) and re-booked those passengers from IAD (Washington (Dulles), DC),” Alaska Air said in an email. “And we estimate that the three delays are about an hour long.”
According to spokesman Brad Hawkins, customers may change from DCA to BWI or Washington (Dulles) without paying additional fees to DCA to Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI or Washington (Dulles), DC -IAD). Otherwise, he said in an email statement: “We have around 20 flights coming and going to the DCA during the expected airspace closure. We don’t expect cancellations. Our team is already making sure our customers are aware of it and are able to plan accordingly.”
A Delta spokesperson told Afar in an email: “At this point, we only look forward to a small number of operational adjustments. We look forward to working with our customers on the necessary readjustment and providing them in the DC area.” The airline has also issued travel waivers, providing customers with even more flexibility in rebooking their travels.
For the latest updates, travelers must visit fly.faa.gov.
