Military parade in Washington, D.C., prompts airlines to cancel Reagan National Airport flights
12. June 2025
Commercial airlines are preemptively canceling flights at Reagan National Airport ahead of a military parade scheduled for June 14 in Washington, D.C.
The flight cancellations come as the airport warns that the Army’s 250th Anniversary Celebration could disrupt passengers’ travel plans.
JetBlue on Wednesday said it was taking steps to “help avoid operational delays” by canceling one scheduled roundtrip flight from Reagan National. The airline added that the parade led it to adjust the timing of additional flights on Saturday.
“Affected customers were notified directly and provided with options in line with our schedule change policy,” the airline said in a statement to CBS News.
Alaska Airlines said that it canceled one planned flight scheduled to fly on June 14 from DCA to San Francisco International Airport and that it will three other flights by approximately one hour.
Delta Air Lines said it canceled four arrivals at Reagan National and four departures on June 14, or about 10% of its schedule at the airport. It has notified customers of the changes and allowed them to either rebook their flights, or opt for a full refund.
FAA restricting flights
The Federal Aviation Administration said this week it will implement a “traffic management program” to accommodate flight changes on June 14. During “peak” military parade activity, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., all airline operations will be on hold, the FAA said in a statement to CBS News.
“In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA will issue Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) for the Washington, D.C., area to ensure safety and security during the celebration,” the FAA said Thursday in a statement to CBS News.
Airline operations will be suspended in order to accommodate military aircraft that will fly over the parade route and to allow for a fireworks show, Reagan National said in a statement on its website.
Last week, the airport began urging travelers who had been scheduled to fly the evening of June 14 to check their flight’s status directly with the airline.
“To support our customers, we’ve adjusted our schedule during this timeframe, temporarily added larger aircraft at DCA to accommodate more customers at alternative times and offered flexibility to travel through Washington Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore Washington (BWI) at no extra cost,” American Airlines told CBS News in a statement.
The military parade to mark the Army’s anniversary will cost between $25 million and $45 million, including events leading up to the June 14 parade, an Army spokesperson told CBS News.
The event, which will be held on President Trump’s birthday, will feature over 100 vehicles, 50 helicopters and thousands of soldiers who will be housed in federal buildings, the spokesperson said.
contributed to this report.