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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Josh Funk

Flights resuming at Reagan airport in DC area after fire alarm in the tower halted all traffic

Reagan Airport Delays Fire Alarm - (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Flights in and out of Reagan National Airport in the Washington, D.C., area resumed around midday Monday after a morning fire alarm in the control tower halted all traffic.

The Federal Aviation Administration said flights into the airport were still being delayed because of heavy traffic after flights were stopped between 10:45 a.m. and noon. Flights are being delayed an average of 39 minutes because of the disruption at the airport.

The FAA statement did not say whether any fire was found in the tower — just that “a fire alarm was activated in the air traffic control tower.” But the agency said the tower was fully operational again as of noon.

Reagan airport was the site of the nation's deadliest plane crash since 2001 when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet in the skies over the capital and killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

That crash, combined with a series of other crashes and close calls since then, have stoked fears about the safety of air travel.

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