DCA · Washington, United States
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
--:--:-- · EDT (UTC-04:00) · 38.8521° N, 77.0377° W
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Airport in Arlington, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C., United States
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for DCA
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 3483; ident KDCA; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
flyreagan.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
20 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
DCA / KDCA
OurAirports ident
KDCA
GPS / local code
KDCA / DCA
ISO region
US-DC
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
large scheduled-service airport
Official host
flyreagan.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q676576
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 7:10 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--EDT · UTC-04:00
Time zone
EDT
America/New_York · UTC-04:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
4.8 km
Approximate distance to central Washington.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Washington, D.C.
Languages
English
Currency
USD ($)
Country area
9,525,067 km²
Passenger volume
Source note unavailable
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
3 runways
Longest runway
7,169 ft / 2,185 m
Runway surface
asphalt (3)
Opened / operator
1941 · The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Owner / entity
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
large scheduled-service airport
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
20 source-backed signals
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a large scheduled-service airport for Washington, United States. Washington's built-up core sits roughly 4.8 km from the terminal area. Operations run on America/New_York (UTC-04:00, EDT). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 5 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA / KDCA) is at 38.8521° N, 77.0377° W, elevation 15 ft (5 m), serving Washington, United States.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Washington is in United States (capital Washington, D.C.); regulated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); on America/New_York (EDT, UTC-04:00); working languages: English; currency: USD ($).
Distance from central Washington: 5 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for DCA.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA / KDCA)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · Airport in Arlington, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C., United States
Known label 1
WAS
Alternate airport-name cue retained for DCA, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
KDCA · KDCA · DCA · US-DC
flyreagan.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Southwest Waterfront
southwest-waterfront · 3.5 km from DCA
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 15,129 · city coordinates 38.8793, -77.0176
2. Capitol Riverfront
capitol-riverfront · 4.1 km from DCA
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 18,874 · city coordinates 38.8780, -77.0031
3. Washington
washington · 4.8 km from DCA
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 689,545 · city coordinates 38.8951, -77.0364
4. Downtown DC
downtown-dc · 4.9 km from DCA
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 52,560 · city coordinates 38.8935, -77.0199
5. Glassmanor
glassmanor · 5.0 km from DCA
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 17,295 · city coordinates 38.8190, -76.9986
6. Capitol Hill
capitol-hill · 5.2 km from DCA
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 15,056 · city coordinates 38.8890, -77.0002
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. IAD KIAD
Washington Dulles International Airport · Dulles
38 km from DCA · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 312 ft (95 m) · airport coordinates 38.9445, -77.4558
2. BWI KBWI
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport · Baltimore
48 km from DCA · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 146 ft (45 m) · airport coordinates 39.1754, -76.6683
3. RIC KRIC
Richmond International Airport · Richmond
152 km from DCA · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 167 ft (51 m) · airport coordinates 37.5052, -77.3197
4. PHL KPHL
Philadelphia International Airport · Philadelphia
192 km from DCA · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 36 ft (11 m) · airport coordinates 39.8719, -75.2411
5. ORF KORF
Norfolk International Airport · Norfolk
230 km from DCA · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 26 ft (8 m) · airport coordinates 36.8953, -76.2010
Route-time reference set
1. DCA-RIC
Richmond · 152 km · 1h 2m
America/New_York · +0h from DCA; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. DCA-PHL
Philadelphia · 192 km · 1h 5m
America/New_York · +0h from DCA; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. DCA-ORF
Norfolk · 230 km · 1h 7m
America/New_York · +0h from DCA; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
3 runways
Longest runway 7,169 ft / 2,185 m. 3 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (3)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for DCA.
Runway identifiers
01/19 · 04/22 · 15/33
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. IAD KIAD
Washington Dulles International Airport · Dulles · 38 km from DCA
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 312 ft (95 m) · 38.9445, -77.4558
2. BWI KBWI
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport · Baltimore · 48 km from DCA
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 146 ft (45 m) · 39.1754, -76.6683
3. RIC KRIC
Richmond International Airport · Richmond · 152 km from DCA
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 167 ft (51 m) · 37.5052, -77.3197
4. PHL KPHL
Philadelphia International Airport · Philadelphia · 192 km from DCA
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 36 ft (11 m) · 39.8719, -75.2411
5. ORF KORF
Norfolk International Airport · Norfolk · 230 km from DCA
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 26 ft (8 m) · 36.8953, -76.2010
6. EWR KEWR
Newark Liberty International Airport · Newark · 319 km from DCA
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 18 ft (5 m) · 40.6894, -74.1705
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) that serve the Washington metropolitan area; the other is Dulles International Airport (IAD), located about 25 miles to the west in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for DCA.
Country and authority
DCA sits in United States (United States of America), whose capital is Washington, D.C.. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Americas, North America.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: English. Currency context: USD ($). DCA is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
DCA is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with WAS. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport in Arlington, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C., United States. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q676576 · Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Owner / owning body: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Administrative area: Arlington County. Named after: Washington, D.C. · Ronald Reagan
Field and clock profile
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a near sea-level field at 15 ft (5 m), positioned at 38.8521° N, 77.0377° W in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 3 runways and a longest runway of 7,169 ft / 2,185 m. The airport clock uses America/New_York (EDT, UTC-04:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Southwest Waterfront is the closest retained city-time anchor at 3.5 km. IAD Dulles is the closest retained airport alternative at 38 km.
Country airport peers
DCA is compared with IAD Dulles at 38 km, BWI Baltimore at 48 km, RIC Richmond at 152 km, PHL Philadelphia at 192 km, ORF Norfolk at 230 km inside the retained United States airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
DCA-RIC Richmond: 152 km, about 1h 2m, +0h. DCA-PHL Philadelphia: 192 km, about 1h 5m, +0h. DCA-ORF Norfolk: 230 km, about 1h 7m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident KDCA backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. flyreagan.com is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
Reference airport
Airline role
Mixed commercial service
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
3 runways · longest 7,169 ft / 2,185 m
Runway identifiers
01/19, 04/22, 15/33
OurAirports classifies DCA as a large airport with scheduled service, which gives it stronger planning value than a code-only lookup.
DCA (KDCA) is a near sea-level field at 15 ft (5 m) in the mid-latitudes, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
DCA sits in a broader regional network with 5 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
DCA's runway record lists 3 runways, with the longest runway at 7,169 ft / 2,185 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (3).
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is the clearest operator or management signal we currently have on file for DCA.
- The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) that serve the Washington metropolitan area; the other is Dulles International Airport (IAD), located about 25 miles to the west in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at flyreagan.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for DCA
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
DCA uses America/New_York (EDT, UTC-04:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is about 4.8 km from central Washington; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
IAD Dulles is the closest retained alternate at 38 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
flyreagan.com is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place DCA inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
DCA ranks #21 in the curated United States airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 94 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
DCA shares America/New_York with ALB Albany US · ATL Atlanta US · BDL Hartford US · BOS Boston US · BUF Buffalo US · BWI Baltimore US. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
DCA is 15 ft (5 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include MCY 15 ft (5 m) (0 ft delta) · NGO 15 ft (5 m) (0 ft delta) · NGS 15 ft (5 m) (0 ft delta) · SDJ 15 ft (5 m) (0 ft delta) · AZI 16 ft (5 m) (1 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
DCA's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are IAD 38 km +0h · BWI 48 km +0h · RIC 152 km +0h · PHL 192 km +0h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | RIC | 152 km | 1h 2m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Philadelphia | PHL | 192 km | 1h 5m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Norfolk | ORF | 230 km | 1h 7m | +0h | --:--:-- |
DCA to RIC
Richmond
Distance 152 km; estimated travel window 1h 2m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from DCA. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
DCA to PHL
Philadelphia
Distance 192 km; estimated travel window 1h 5m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from DCA. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
DCA to ORF
Norfolk
Distance 230 km; estimated travel window 1h 7m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from DCA. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
Central Washington is close enough that taxi, ride-hail, and rail or shuttle links are usually the fastest arrival options.
Washington is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 5 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from DCA, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Southwest Waterfront
southwest-waterfront · 3.5 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Capitol Riverfront
capitol-riverfront · 4.1 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Washington
washington · 4.8 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Downtown DC
downtown-dc · 4.9 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Glassmanor
glassmanor · 5.0 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Capitol Hill
capitol-hill · 5.2 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Alexandria
alexandria-4744091 · 5.3 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Mount Vernon Triangle
mount-vernon-triangle · 5.9 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Foggy Bottom
foggy-bottom · 5.9 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Golden Triangle
golden-triangle · 5.9 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Northwest One
northwest-one · 6.2 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Dupont Circle
dupont-circle · 6.3 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport does not have a long carrier list in the current source trail, so this page emphasizes the durable pieces travelers can safely use here: local time, field identifiers, nearby airports, and timezone differences.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Richmond (RIC), Philadelphia (PHL), Norfolk (ORF). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 3 runways; longest runway 7,169 ft / 2,185 m; identifiers 01/19, 04/22, 15/33.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (3); 3 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1941.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from DCA. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Washington Dulles International AirportIAD
Dulles · large airport
- Distance
- 38 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 312 ft (95 m)
Compare against IAD when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall AirportBWI
Baltimore · large airport
- Distance
- 48 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 146 ft (45 m)
Compare against BWI when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Richmond International AirportRIC
Richmond · large airport
- Distance
- 152 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 167 ft (51 m)
Compare against RIC when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Philadelphia International AirportPHL
Philadelphia · large airport
- Distance
- 192 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 36 ft (11 m)
Compare against PHL when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Norfolk International AirportORF
Norfolk · large airport
- Distance
- 230 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 26 ft (8 m)
Compare against ORF when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in?▾
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is in the America/New_York timezone (UTC-04:00, EDT).
What are the codes for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport?▾
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport uses IATA code DCA and ICAO code KDCA.
Where is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport located?▾
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located in Washington, United States at coordinates 38.8521° N, 77.0377° W, with an elevation of 15 ft (5 m) (near sea-level field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from central Washington?▾
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport sits roughly 4.8 km from the nearest mapped city center for Washington.
Which route reference is most useful from DCA?▾
Richmond (RIC) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 2m, destination timezone America/New_York, and a +0h difference from DCA.
Which authority regulates DCA?▾
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport sits inside United States, where civil aviation oversight is led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What other airports in United States are close peers to DCA?▾
DCA's curated peers in United States on this site include IAD Dulles, BWI Baltimore, RIC Richmond, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport have?▾
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 3 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 7,169 ft / 2,185 m; identifiers include 01/19, 04/22, 15/33.