# Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

> Washington, US · IATA: DCA · ICAO: KDCA · Large Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `DCA` |
| ICAO | `KDCA` |
| City | Washington |
| Country | US |
| Type | Large Airport |
| Elevation | 5 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 38.85210, -77.03770 |

## Description

Unlike the region's cargo gateways, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA/KDCA) has no dedicated freight terminal: it is a slot-controlled US domestic airport where shipments move almost entirely as belly cargo on passenger aircraft. It sits on the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, roughly five kilometres from downtown Washington, is served by the Metro Blue and Yellow lines, and is operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). A statutory perimeter rule limits nonstop flights to 1,250 miles unless an exemption applies; Section 502 of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization directed ten additional daily slot exemptions, and in December 2024 the Department of Transportation awarded two each to Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United for service to San Diego, San Antonio, Seattle, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Airspace congestion around DCA has come under closer scrutiny since the 29 January 2025 midair collision between a US Army helicopter and a regional jet on approach. For air freight into the Washington metropolitan area, Washington Dulles (IAD) is the relevant gateway, holding the region's intercontinental cargo capacity and the associated customs infrastructure. Baltimore/Washington (BWI), some 50 km northeast, is the second option and is strongly used by the integrators in their domestic networks. IAD lies about 40 km from DCA via I-66 and the Dulles Access Road, so trucking between the three regional airports is standard practice. In short: DCA suits small time-critical courier and express consignments, not palletised freight, dangerous goods or charter operations.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ronald-reagan-washington-national-airport-dca](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ronald-reagan-washington-national-airport-dca)*

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*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/ronald-reagan-washington-national-airport-dca/llm-summary*