United Airlines flight from Houston evacuated at Reagan National Airport due to bomb threat, officials say

Washington– Federal authorities announced that all flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the nation’s busiest airports, were grounded for a time Tuesday due to a bomb threat.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the threat was directed at a United Airlines flight that was heading from Houston, Texas, to a Washington, D.C., area airport.

All other flights were suspended while the plane was moved to an isolated area of ​​the airport. United Airlines and the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority said that the 89 passengers and six crew members disembarked from the Boeing 737 plane and were transported by buses to the arrival hall.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office’s National Capital Response Task Force responded to the reported threat and reported that no hazardous materials were found. Law enforcement is now investigating the same threat, authorities said.

All airport operations resumed at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, according to Duffy, who thanked law enforcement for the quick response.

Before flights resumed, the average delay time for flights departing out of the airport was 51 minutes Tuesday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The maximum delay time was more than two hours.

Flight delays have been increasing across the country as the federal government enters the second month of the shutdown, leaving air traffic controllers working without pay.

Associated Press reporter Mike Balsamo contributed reporting from Washington, D.C