A United Airlines flight from Houston’s Bush Airport was evacuated at Reagan National, prompting a ground stop in Washington, D.C.
HOUSTON — A United Airlines flight from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following what federal officials have now confirmed was a bomb threat.
According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the flight landed safely and passengers were bused to the terminal while law enforcement conducted a full search of the aircraft.
“Earlier today a United flight from Houston to Washington D.C. received a bomb threat. The flight landed safely at DCA, passengers were evacuated, and law enforcement conducted a full search of the aircraft,” Duffy wrote on X. “The FAA has received the all clear and operations have resumed. I want to thank our brave men and women in law enforcement for their quick response.”
Threat prompted temporary ground stop in Washington, D.C.
Emergency crews surrounded the plane on the tarmac as officials sent a staircase truck to help passengers deplane. Video from KHOU 11’s sister station, WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., showed buses taking passengers to the terminal.
Reagan National Airport officials confirmed the evacuation in a post on X, stating:
“All flight operations are being held at Reagan National while passengers on a United Airlines flight are being offloaded and bussed to the terminal. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at 10:18 a.m. CT, which was expected to remain in effect until at least 1:30 p.m., with a “medium” chance of extension. Emergency vehicles were seen parked near the United flight, which appeared to be the only aircraft on the tarmac at the time.
Operations have since resumed at Reagan National, according to Secretary Duffy’s update.
Airport confirms flight number, runway closure, and ongoing investigation
In a new statement, Reagan National Airport and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed that United Airlines flight 512 landed at 10:30 a.m. CT and stopped on an adjacent runway away from the terminal “in response to a security threat.”
Runways remained closed until passengers were safely offloaded and bused to the terminal, according to airport officials. The runways reopened at 11:50 a.m., and a thorough investigation is underway by MWAA Police with assistance from multiple law enforcement partners.
Officials added that several flights were diverted to other airports during the closure and warned that travelers should expect delays throughout the afternoon.
“People meeting passengers or flying this afternoon should expect delays and check with their airline for updated flight information,” the statement read.
Flight originated in Houston
Flight tracking site FlightRadar24 initially reported the issue as an “unconfirmed threat” involving a United flight that had arrived from Houston. The plane’s arrival and subsequent evacuation drew a large emergency response but no injuries have been reported.
United Airlines has not released additional details about the incident or the nature of the threat.
Second security-related ground stop in a week
This was the second time in less than a week that flights at Reagan National were grounded for security reasons. The FAA said a previous ground stop last Wednesday, Oct. 29, was linked to military activities in the area.
Nearby airports, Washington Dulles and Baltimore/Washington International, were not affected and continued normal operations throughout Tuesday afternoon.
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