Flight Disruptions Now

July 12, 2026

Reagan National has a ground stop scheduled Sunday morning for an 'air show' no public event explains

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The FAA's airspace status lists a DCA ground stop from 8:25 to 10:00 AM ET today, cause "air show." But MWAA's advisory page, the official DCA disruption date list, and the military flyover calendar all stop at July 10. The convective forecast wall is back again, airline waivers expire today, and World Cup semifinal fans need to position into Dallas and Atlanta by today.

The Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System Status page shows a ground stop scheduled at Reagan National from 12:25 PM to 2:00 PM UTC, which is 8:25 to 10:00 AM Eastern. The listed cause is "air show."

That is where the certainty ends. No public event listing, Temporary Flight Restriction, or MWAA advisory confirms any air show in Washington on July 12. The MWAA news page has not posted a DCA advisory since June 16, when it listed disruption dates for America 250 celebrations. That date list, corroborated by WJLA, included June 24-25, June 28, July 3-4, July 10, and August 22-23. July 12 is not on it. The D.C. Department of Homeland Security said military flyovers would run from June 24 through July 10. The Great American State Fair closed July 10. The FAA's TFR page shows no DC-area flight restriction for July 12. The only July 12 TFR on file is over Black Rock, Nevada.

This is different from the July 10 DCA flyover that this feed covered, which MWAA and seven independent sources confirmed in advance. Here, the FAA's own system has the NOTAM, but nothing publicly available explains it.

The ground stop has been sitting in the FAA's active events list all week, visible as a future event on every prior check. Now it is today. The FAA's data is the primary source, and the agency is the authority on airspace restrictions. But without a corresponding public event, the only honest report is that the FAA has this on the schedule, cause "air show," and nothing publicly available explains why.

If you are flying through DCA this morning, check your flight status with your airline and consider BWI or Dulles as alternatives. The FAA's DCA airport page showed only 15-minute delays as of 2:45 AM UTC, well before the scheduled stop. If the ground stop fires at 8:25 AM ET as scheduled, departures heading to DCA from other airports will be held at their origin, and DCA departures may face temporary holds. The July 3 flyover caused a three-hour ground stop at DCA, and NBC4 Washington reported that several flights did not make it out before the closure.

The convective wall is back again

The same afternoon thunderstorm forecast that has appeared on nasstatus every day since July 7 is back: DCA ground stop expected after 1230Z (8:30 AM ET, a window that has fizzled five consecutive days), SFO ground delay program probable after 1500Z (11 AM ET), DFW/DAL possible after 1600Z, and the 1800Z (2 PM ET) wall across JFK, LGA, PHL, EWR, TEB, IAD, DCA, BWI, TPA, MCO, MIA, FLL, and PBI. En route swap routes are probable for BOS, N90, PHL, and PCT after 1800Z.

This forecast has verified twice (July 9 and July 11) and fizzled three times (July 7, 8, and 10). The next FAA planning webinar is at 1515Z (11:15 AM ET), which is when the forecast typically gets restructured or confirmed. DCA faces two separate potential ground stop causes today: the scheduled "air show" stop at 8:25 AM and the convective forecast at 8:30 AM. Treat the afternoon wall as a possibility, not a certainty.

Airline waivers expire today

The travel waivers issued during this week's storms expire today, July 12. American Airlines has a severe weather waiver with rebook-by July 12. United issued an East Coast thunderstorms waiver covering BWI, EWR, JFK, LGA, PHL, DCA, and IAD, rebook through July 12. Delta posted an advisory for EWR, HPN, JFK, and LGA from July 10.

If your flight is affected by today's DCA ground stop or afternoon storms, check your carrier's advisory page directly. Airlines typically issue new waivers only after the FAA's morning planning call firms up the forecast, around 11:15 AM ET. Do not assume an expired waiver will be extended.

World Cup semifinals are set, and today is positioning day

All four quarterfinals are complete. France beat Morocco 2-0 on July 9 in Boston. Spain beat Belgium 2-1 on July 10 in Los Angeles. England beat Norway 2-1 in extra time on July 11 in Miami. Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 in extra time on July 11 in Kansas City. The semifinals are France vs Spain on Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and England vs Argentina on Wednesday, July 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Both kick off at 3 PM ET. The final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

If you are flying to either semifinal, today is the last practical positioning day. Both DFW and ATL appear in today's convective forecast, with DFW and DAL possible after noon and ATL in the en route swap routes after 2 PM ET. Storms at either hub would compound already-heavy demand. The third-place match is July 18 in Miami, and the final is July 19 at MetLife.

Tracking