DC’s Reagan National Airport briefly halts flights after drone reported in area

by Lexi Lonas - 07/21/22 7:21 PM ET

A drone flies at one of the Federal Aviation Administration’s designated drone testing sites run by nonprofit Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance Inc., at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y., on June 11, 2021. The FAA is working to relax some aviation rules to allow some drone operators to fly their machines out of their line of sight. (AP Photo/Matt O’Brien)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted flights at Reagan National Airport in the Washington, D.C., area on Thursday after a drone was spotted nearby.

The FAA said in a statement they stopped arrivals and departures for 13 minutes early in the afternoon and local authorities were notified.

Reagan Airport acknowledged the issue on Twitter, saying flights were halted around 1:30 p.m. and it took until 2:15 p.m. for normal operations to resume.

The Hill has reached out to the Arlington, Va., police department for comment on the investigation into who was flying the drone.

Drones flying near airports have become a bigger problem in recent years, with drone operators normally needing to get permission before flying too close to airports.

— Updated at 7:55 p.m.

Tags drones drones FAA Federal Aviation Administration Ronald Reagan National Airport