Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority ("MWAA" or "Authority") is an independent airport authority, created by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia with the consent of the United States Congress to oversee management, operations, and capital development of Washington, D.C.'s two major airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. The Authority, which is an independent public body corporate and politic, leases the airports from the United States Department of Transportation. The United States government originally built the airports and continues to own the underlying airport property except for property acquired by MWAA subsequent to the lease. The Authority has its headquarters on the grounds of Reagan National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia.
