An airport halted flights for about an hour on Tuesday — and it wasn’t because of a staffing shortage.
A United Airlines aircraft at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, experienced a “security threat shortly” after arriving from Houston, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority told Business Insider.
The airport issued a ground stop at around 11:30 a.m. — forcing departing planes to stay put and inbound flights to hold or divert — and the plane taxiied away from the terminal where passengers deplaned. Operations resumed around 12:50 p.m.
The MWAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other authorities are investigating.
United Airlines told Business Insider that “law enforcement officials searched and cleared the aircraft, and it has since taxied to the gate.” The flight had 89 passengers and six crew members onboard.
This appears to be an apparent hoax, with the FBI telling BI that “no hazards were found.”
According to air traffic control audio, the pilots of United Flight 512 were notified of an “unconfirmed bomb report.”
“I’m sorry to have to do this to you, we’ve got to turn you again, sir,” a controller is heard saying, according to audio tapes that NBC Washington posted on X.
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“We’ve got to get you away from the airport,” he said before giving taxi instructions to Runway 22.
The airport said passengers flying through the airport should expect delays caused by the temporary closure. Data from the aviation tracking website Flightaware shows about 160 flights, or 35% of departures, have been delayed as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Bomb threats are extremely serious situations, but many turn out to be a hoax, which can result in fines and jail time.
In February, fighter jets escorted an American Airlines plane after a midair bomb threat. In June, a man called in a fake bomb threat against a flight he had just missed from Detroit to Los Angeles.
In May, a Navy technician similarly made a false bomb threat against a Hawaiian Airlines flight.
