What are the Washington DC Airports? There are three major airports in Washington DC and they are Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
There are two other small airports in the DC area namely College Park Airport and Washington DC South Capitol Street Heliport.
In this article, we will be exploring the details of major airports in the DC area covering basic information, flight operation, destinations, operating airlines, and much more.
Stay till the end to acquire all the important details of the airports mentioned above.
Table of Contents
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (ICAO: KDCA, IATA: DCA, FAA LID: DCA) is one of the airports in DC area located in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River. The airport is situated at an elevation of 15ft (5m) above mean sea level (AMSL).
Washington City is visible from the DCA airport as it is just 5 miles away from downtown Washington. DCA is also known as National Airport, Reagan National Airport, or simply National Airport.
Facilities at DCA
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport features 60 gates equipped with jetways. There are three terminals named Terminal A, Terminal B and Terminal C. Terminal A holds 9 gates, Terminal B accommodates 12 gates and Terminal C features 39 gates.
DCA Runway Information
DCA features three asphalt runways with designations RWY 1/19, RWY 4/22 and RWY 15/33. Runway 1/19 is 7,169 ft long whereas runway 4/22 is 5,000 ft long and runway 15/33 is 5,204 ft long.
| RUNWAY DESIGNATION | LENGTH | SURFACE |
| 1/19 | 7,169 ft (2,185m) | Asphalt |
| 4/22 | 5,000 ft (1,524m) | Asphalt |
| 15/33 | 5,204 ft (1,586m) | Asphalt |
DCA Airport Technical Information
| ICAO CODE | KDCA |
| IATA CODE | DCA |
| FAA LID | DCA |
| ELEVATION | 15 ft (5m) AMSL |
| AREA | 861 acres (348 ha) |
| RUNWAY | 1/19 (Asphalt)4/22 (Asphalt)15/33 (Asphalt) |
Operating Airlines and their destinations
| OPERATING AIRLINES | DESTINATIONS |
| Air Canada Express | Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto |
| Alaska Airlines | Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Portland |
| American Airlines | Major domestic destinations |
| American Eagle | Major domestic destinations |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, Salt Lake City, New York-JFK, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Los Angeles |
| Frontier Airlines | Denver |
| JetBlue | West Palm Beach, Nassau, Orlando, San Juan, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Boston |
| Southwest Airlines | Major domestic destinations |
| United Airlines | San Francisco, Houston-Intercontinental, Denver, Chicago-O’Hare |
| United Express | Newark, Chicago-O’Hare, Houston-Intercontinental |
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is among the major airports in DC area situated at an elevation of 313 ft (95m) above mean sea level. The airport is located 26 miles west of downtown Washington in the Eastern United States.
The airport is commonly known as Dulles Airport, Dulles International Airport, Washington Dulles or Dulles. It covers a total area of 13,000 acres and is one of the biggest airports in DC area.
Facilities at IAD
The Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is equipped with the main terminal and two parallel midfield terminal infrastructures. The main terminal consists four of the original gates whereas the two parallel midfield terminal buildings accommodate Concourses A/B and Concourses C/D respectively.
Talking about the gate, there is a total of 139 gates out of which 123 gates feature jetways. Besides, there are 16 hardstand locations from where you can board or deboard aircraft using the airport vehicles.
IAD Runway Information
The Washington Dulles International Airport features 4 concrete runways with designations 1L/19R, 1C/19C, 1R/19L and 12L/30R.
| RUNWAY DESIGNATION | LENGTH | SURFACE |
| 1L/19R | 9,400 ft (2,865m) | Concrete |
| 1C/19C | 11,500 ft (3,505m) | Concrete |
| 1R/19L | 11,500 ft (3,505m) | Concrete |
| 12L/30R | 10,501 ft (3,201m) | Concrete |
Operating Airlines and Destinations
| OPERATING AIRLINES | DESTINATIONS |
| Aer Lingus | Dublin |
| Aeroflot | Moscow |
| Air Canada Express | Montreal, Toronto |
| Air China | Beijing |
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Air India | Delhi |
| Alaska Airlines | Seattle/Tacoma, Los Angeles, San Francisco |
| Allegiant Air | Sarasota, Jacksonville |
| All Nippon Airways | Haneda-Tokyo |
| American Airlines | Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, Austin |
| American Eagle | Charlotte |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna |
| Avianca | La Paz, Bogota |
| Avianca Costa Rica | Guatemala City |
| Avianca El Salvador | San Salvador |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow |
| Brussel Airlines | Brussels |
| Cabo Verde Airlines | Sal Island |
| Copa Airlines | Panama City |
| Delta Air Lines | Seattle/Tacoma, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Salt Lake City |
| Delta Connection | New York-JFK, Detroit, Minneapolis/St.Paul |
| Egyptair | Cairo |
| Emirates | Dubai-International |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Frontier Airlines | Orlando |
| Iberia | Madrid |
| Icelandair | Reykjavik-Keflavik |
| KLM | Amsterdam |
| Korean Air | Seoul-Incheon |
| Lufthansa | Munich, Frankfurt |
| Porter Airlines | Toronto |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca |
| Saudia | Riyadh, Jeddah |
| Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen |
| Southern Airways Express | Morgantown, Lancaster, Bradford, DuBois |
| Southwest Airlines | Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago-Midway |
| TAP Air Portugal | Lisbon |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul |
| United Airlines | Major domestic and international destinations |
| United Express | Major domestic and international destinations |
| Virgin Atlantic | London-Heathrow |
| Volaris Costa Rica | San Salvador, San Jose de Costa Rica |
IAD Technical Information
| ICAO CODE | KIAD |
| IATA CODE | IAD |
| FAA LID | IAD |
| ELEVATION | 313 ft (95m) AMSL |
| AREA | 13000 acres |
| RUNWAY | 1L/19R (Concrete)1C/19C (Concrete)1R/19L (Concrete)12L/30R (Concrete) |
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Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (ICAO: KBWI, IATA: BWI, FAA LID: BWI) is one of the airports in DC area serving Washington DC, Baltimore and Maryland. The airport situated at an elevation of 143 ft (44m) above mean sea level (AMSL) is 30 miles northeast of Washington, DC.
BWI airport is also listed as the 22nd busiest airport in the United States. It is named after a Baltimore native named Thurgood Marshall (the first African American to serve as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court).
Facilities at BWI
The Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport features five concourses with a total of 77 gates. Concourse A and B hold 30 gates, Concourse C accommodates 14 gates, Concourse D features 23 gates whereas Concourse E has the remaining 10 gates.
BWI Runway Information
The BWI airport features three asphalt runways with designation 10/28, 15L/33R and 15R/33L.
| RUNWAY DESIGNATION | LENGTH | SURFACE |
| 10/28 | 10,503 ft (3,201m) | Asphalt |
| 15L/33R | 5,000 ft (1,524m) | Asphalt |
| 15R/33L | 9,501 ft (2,896m) | Asphalt |
Operating Airlines and Destinations
| OPERATING AIRLINES | DESTINATIONS |
| Air Canada Express | Toronto, Montreal |
| Air Senegal | Dakar-Diass |
| Alaska Airlines | Seattle/Tacoma |
| Allegiant Air | Savannah, Asheville, Knoxville, Punta Gorda, Destin/Fort Walton Beach |
| American Airlines | Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago-O’Hare, Charlotte, Miami |
| American Eagle | Charlotte, New York-JFK, Chicago-O’Hare |
| Boutique Air | Massena, Altoona |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow |
| Condor | Frankfurt (Seasonal) |
| Contour Airlines | Macon/Warner Robins |
| Delta Air Lines | Salt Lake City, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Delta Connection | New York-JFK, Boston |
| Frontier Airlines | Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Cancun, Miami |
| Icelandair | Reykjavik-Keflavik (Seasonal) |
| JetBlue | Boston |
| Southwest Airlines | Major domestic and International Destinations |
| Spirit Airlines | Major Domestic destinations |
| Sun Country Airlines | Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| United Airlines | San Francisco, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago-O’Hare |
| United Express | Houston-Intercontinental, Chicago-O’Hare |
BWI Technical Information
| ICAO CODE | KBWI |
| IATA CODE | BWI |
| FAA LID | BWI |
| ELEVATION | 143 ft (44m) |
| AREA | 3200 acres (1,300 ha) |
| RUNWAY | 10/28 (Asphalt)15L/33R (Asphalt)15R/33L (Asphalt) |
Washington, DC Airport Code
| AIRPORT NAME | WASHINGTON DC AIRPORT CODE |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | DCA |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | IAD |
| Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport | BWI |
Closest Airport to Washington DC Capitol
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to Washington DC Capitol as it is just 4.4 miles away from the Capitol and requires 10 minutes drive.
Another closest airport to Washington DC Capitol after DCA is Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and it is 28.3 miles away from the Capitol and you need a 37-minutes drive.
Next to IAD is Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) which is 32.2 miles away from the Capitol and requires almost a 52-minutes drive.
Busiest D.C. Airport
Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) is the busiest D.C. Airport and is also the 22nd busiest airport in the United States. The statistics of 2020 shows the airport served over 11,204,511 passengers. The number of aircraft operations was 178,834 and a total of 595,195, 364 lb cargo was transported in and out of the airport.
How many airports are in DC?
There are three major airports in DC area and they are Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Is Dulles or Reagan airport closer to DC?
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to DC as it is just 4.4 miles away from DC and requires 10 minutes drive.
Which is the best airport to fly into Washington DC?
Among the three major airports in DC area, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the best airport to fly into Washington DC because it is the closest airport to DC (just 4.4 miles away and requires a short 10-minutes drive).
Which airport is bigger in Washington DC?
There are three major airports in DC area and among them, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is the biggest. IAD covers a total area of 13,000 acres.
