By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will close on July 4 starting at noon EDT (1600 GMT) due to 250th U.S. anniversary events in the capital region including a military flyover, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said Tuesday.
The airport, located in Virginia close to downtown Washington, D.C., will also close for several hours on July 3 for rehearsals. The closures will force the cancellations of hundreds of flights.
The airport is expected to reopen early on July 5. United Airlines said it has “planned for this restriction and have scheduled accordingly so that there is no expected customer impact.”
The Washington airport faced temporary flight restrictions last weekend during other events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bouts hosted at the White House.
The MWAA said the airport will face disruptions due to downtown flyovers or other aerial displays such as fireworks or parachute jumps on other dates as well including June 24 to 25, June 28, July 10 and August 22 to 23.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
