Disaster at Dulles? No, Just a Drill

Dulles International Airport will simulate a jetliner accident - complete with victims and fire - on Saturday.

  If you see smoke and helicopters in the direction of Dulles International Airport on Saturday, don't be alarmed. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is conducting an emergency preparedness exercise from 8:30 a.m. to about noon. The drill will include a simulated aircraft accident that will test the airport’s emergency plan and provide hands-on training to airport and mutual aid emergency response personnel, an airport spokesman said. The drill will take place on a closed runway and will not affect normal airport operations. But it will include the following elements to simulate the realism of an actual emergency: *  A widebody United Airlines jet aircraft on the runway * A trainer aircraft that will be lit on fire, producing …

• Photos (1)

Dulles, Reagan National Flight Delays Due to Snow, Rain

Snow in the Midwest and rain across the Southeast Friday and Saturday mean hundreds of flight delays and cancelations.

Snow from Chicago to Kansas City and heavy rain in the South mean flight delays and cancelations at both Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Reagan National Airport (DCA) Friday. Check for flight delays and cancelations here. As of 11:15 a.m. Friday, delays in Chicago had largely cleared up, but delays in Kansas City, St. Louis and other areas of the Midwest were increasing. Several flights to the STL and KCI airports have been canceled.  Those delays are affecting some flights into and out of Dulles International and Reagan National airports.  Airlines are strongly recommending you check your flight's status prior to leaving for the airport.  Here is contact information for airlines serving IAD and DCA. Snow is falling in the Chicago …

• Photos (1)

Dog Rescued from Egyptian Streets on the Loose After Landing at Dulles

Have you seen Ralphie? After 18-hour flight, dog got spooked, bolted from the Dulles Airport parking lot Wednesday.

A Germantown, Md. couple who eagerly awaited the arrival of a street dog they rescued from Egypt is now trying to find the animal, which bolted from its crate while being taken through the parking lot at Dulles Airport Wednesday night. Would-be owners, David Scott and his wife—who Scott said was too distraught and did not want to be named—are waging a public campaign to find Ralphie, a German Shephard and Labrador mix. They’ve made the appeal to local television stations, are creating fliers and have posted the loss on Craigslist.  “My wife and I spent four and a half hours at the airport last night, in the cold and the dark searching for him,” Scott told Patch, as he drove back from Dulles on Thursday afternoon. “If somebody has him, …

• Photos (3)

Airport Holiday Travel Tips from MWAA

Information, websites and more that can help you get through the airport.

With the holidays comes holiday traveling and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has tips for customers traveling through Dulles International and Reagan National airports.  “We advise our customers to plan ahead and arrive early during peak times this holiday season,” said Jack Potter, MWAA President and CEO in a press release. “We are committed to providing an excellent, welcoming experience to all travelers who come to our airports — especially at this time of the year.” This year the Transportation Security Administration introduced TSAPre✓, a dedicated security checkpoint for passengers who are approved for expedited screening. Approved passengers don't have to remove their shoes, belts, laptops or 3-1-1 compliant bags from …

• Photos (3)

Dulles Investigates Bomb Threat Monday Night

Airport security is sweeping Parking Garages 1 and 2 Monday night.

UPDATE: 12:15 a.m. According to @dcairports, the official Twitter account for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority: "All #IAD Dulles facilities are open and operating normally. Check w/your airline in the event of residual flight delays. Final update."  --- Dulles International Airport security personnel were busy sweeping parking garages Monday night, after a bomb threat was reportedly called in to the airport, according to spokeswoman Kimberly Gibbs. "I believe it was a phone-in threat," said Gibbs, who works for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. "We are inspecting the garages at Dulles right now," she said, noting that Parking Garages 1 and 2 were being scrutinized. Gibbs noted that the FBI will likely also …

• Photos (1)

Dulles Airport Sees 500M Passenger Milestone

The 500 millionth passenger was estimated to have passed through the Dulles International Airport around noon Friday, June 15.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Dulles International Airport threw a surprise party for the passengers waiting to board United Airlines flight No. 1172 on Friday, June 15, in celebration of the airport's 500 millionth passenger. The party included cake, beverages and an extra suprise for a lucky passenger, according to an MWAA press release. The airport opened in 1962 and United Airlines has had a hub at Dulles for 25 years. One traveler on the flight was selected as the person to receive the symbolic honor of being passenger number 500 million. The Los Angeles-bound passenger and his wife were presented with a framed picture of the iconic airport terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen, as well as a parking voucher good for…

• Photos (1)

George Clooney Spotted at Dulles Airport

George Clooney was at Dulles Airport on April 29 as he headed to the 2012 White House Correspondents Dinner.

UPDATE: Enterprise Departure Delayed Until Friday

Forecasts of inclement weather forced officials to delay the space shuttle's departure to New York until Friday.

Update: Tuesday, April 24 11 p.m. NASA officials have rescheduled the Enterprise again. The new tentative date is Friday, April 27. Update: Monday, April 23 10 p.m. NASA officials have tentatively rescheduled the Enterprise departure for Wednesday, April 25. The flight is expected to occur between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Original Post: NASA released a statement Friday announcing the postponement of Enterprise's departure to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York, NY, because of bad weather. Mounted atop the same Boeing 747 that carried the Discovery from Florida to Virginia, the Enterprise was scheduled to leave Dulles Airport Monday morning for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. "To ensure a safe flight for …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Discovery Lands at Dulles

Space Shuttle Discovery lands at Dulles after extended fly-over Washington, D.C., area.

The space shuttle Discovery landed at Dulles International Airport at 11:05 a.m. after an extended series of fly-overs around the Washington, D.C., area, providing hundreds of thousands of onlookers spectacular views as it approached. The landing was covered live by NASA TV, which is still broadcasting the shuttle as it is tended to on the tarmac. The specially-designed Boeing 747 transport aircraft with Discovery on its back flew over the Dulles area at about 9:30 a.m., then flew into Washington, D.C., to fly around the National Mall and U.S. Capitol, before returning to Dulles to land. Workers will spend two days preparing Discovery to go on display at its final retirement home at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center at…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)