Flights Suspended at Washington’s Reagan Airport After Bomb Threat on United Airlines Plane

Air travel was temporarily disrupted at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport on Tuesday following a bomb threat directed at a United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas, federal authorities confirmed.

According to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the threat targeted a flight traveling from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Washington, D.C. All incoming and outgoing flights were briefly suspended as a safety precaution while the affected aircraft was moved to a secure, isolated area of the airfield.

Passengers were safely evacuated, disembarked, and transported by bus to the terminal, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said. Law enforcement agencies quickly initiated an investigation to assess the situation.

Operations at Reagan National Airport resumed around 1:30 p.m. ET, following clearance from security officials. Secretary Duffy expressed gratitude to law enforcement for their swift and coordinated response, ensuring the safety of passengers and staff.

Before normal operations resumed, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that departing flights experienced an average delay of 51 minutes, with some delays extending beyond two hours.

Authorities have not yet released further details about the origin of the threat, but investigations are ongoing. The quick response by federal and local agencies helped restore calm at one of the busiest airports in the United States, preventing what could have been a major security incident.