Dulles Runway to Become Private Plane Parking Lot

One of the four runways at Washington’s Dulles International Airport will be closed starting Friday to park private planes flown to D.C. for President-elect Obama’s inauguration.

Opened in November, the 9,400-foot runway will be closed from Friday, Jan. 16 through Thursday, Jan. 22 to accommodate what the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority expects to be around 500 private planes flown in for the occasion.

“Confining the aircraft to the fourth runway complex keeps the other three runway complexes free of aircraft,” said Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling. “Consolidating the aircraft to this one runway is to the benefit of the function of the other three runways.”

With an estimated 4 million people coming to Washington D.C, airlines have bolstered the number of flights into area airports. Amtrak too is planning to run at 50 percent above capacity.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will remain in control of the three remaining runways, which will receive all air traffic, while so-called “fixed base operators” will coordinate service on the fourth runway.

–Michael O’Brien & Jordy Yager