All flights were temporarily stopped at a major airport in Washington DC, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Departing flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were halted for over an hour starting from 11:18 am ET due to a reported “bomb threat.” The main runway was reopened at 12:50 pm, and flight operations have resumed, according to the airport authorities.
Passengers were observed being escorted off an airplane on the runway, with the FAA ensuring the plane was moved “away from the terminal.” Although flights have now resumed, departing flights are experiencing an average delay of 51 minutes, with some facing delays of over two hours, as stated by the FAA.
The reported threat specifically targeted the United Airlines flight UA512 arriving from Houston IAD, according to AirLive. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft involved was relocated from the terminal area during ongoing investigations by the authorities.
The Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for civil aviation safety in the US, has issued a statement regarding the incident. A video footage from the scene showed a group of police officers gathered on the runway behind a United Airlines plane, as reported by CBS affiliate WUSA.
CNN correspondent Pete Muntean mentioned that the flight stoppage was due to “a bomb threat on a plane.” Flight operations were paused following an unconfirmed threat against a United Airlines plane, as reported by flight tracking site FlightRadar24. The aircraft in question was moved to a separate location away from other planes at the airport.
All flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were put on hold from 11:18 am ET, following a security emergency announcement at 11:30 am ET.
