Reagan National Airport anniversary: Airport celebrates 70th birthday Thursday

June 16, 2011 - 07:40 am

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Reagan National Airport in the Washington area is celebrating its 70th anniversary.

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(Photo: Jay Westcott)

President Franklin Roosevelt selected the site for the airport and opened it in 1941. It was originally named National Airport. In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill to change its name to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The airport served about 344,000 passengers in its first year. Today it serves more than 18 million passengers a year.

Another airport in the D.C. area, Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

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