Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration has already attracted the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Shakira to Washington. The four days of festivities also will bring so many private jets that airport authorities are closing a runway to park them.

The 9,400-foot runway at Washington Dulles International, one of three major airports serving the capital, closed at 5 p.m. yesterday to allow as many as 100 small planes to park there beginning today, said Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the airport operator.

Hamilton’s Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is expecting 500 small jets to land at Dulles between yesterday and Jan. 21. That would set a record, topping the 300 the airport accommodated for President George W. Bush’s 2004 inaugural, Hamilton said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also getting ready for the influx of private and airline jets, and may open additional routes to accommodate the traffic, said Laura Brown, an agency spokeswoman.

The inaugural is “our local phenomenon that would be similar to a Super Bowl,” Hamilton said in an interview.

Terror Attacks

Until the 2001 terrorist attacks, most small planes headed to Washington for inaugurals were allowed to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, directly across the Potomac River from the capital, in Arlington, Virginia. Since then, private jets have been required to use Dulles, which is in Chantilly, Virginia, 26 miles from Washington.

The runway parking at Dulles will be sufficient because most of the planes will depart after dropping off passengers, Hamilton said.

The closing of the runway shouldn’t cause delays for other airport users, Hamilton said. That’s because the runway, the fourth at the airport, opened Nov. 20 and Dulles is accustomed to operating with only three runways, Hamilton said.

Steve Brown, senior vice president of operations for the National Business Aviation Association in Washington, which represents corporate jet users, said the turnout of jets for the inaugural may not be as high as the airports authority anticipates.

The unprecedented security measures for the inauguration -- including the closure of bridges from Virginia into Washington - - may have dampened the enthusiasm of some possible attendees, Brown said.

“As people broadly are learning about these additional things that come up each day, it’s going to influence ultimately the number of people who come,” Brown said. “I have a sense that the trend is for the number to come down.”

To contact the reporters on this story: John Hughes in Washington at jhughes5@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: January 17, 2009 00:05 EST