FAA halts traffic at Washington DC airport after threat reported against plane
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday halted traffic at Reagan Washington National Airport after a report of a threat to a United Airlines plane.
The FAA said operations were halted due to a reported safety issue, passengers were disembarked and the plane was away from the terminal while officials investigated.
A person who received information on the subject said that a threat was made to the plane and that the plane was being controlled with great care.
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United referred its questions to the FBI. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reagan Airport is just 5 miles from the White House and the U.S. Capitol, and the FAA enforces special security restrictions around the airfield.
Flight tracking site FlightRadar24 said the issue stemmed from an unconfirmed threat to a United flight from Houston, adding that the airport was preparing to reopen just before 1 p.m. ET.
More than 160 flights were delayed in Reagan, according to FlightAware.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago, Editing by Franklin Paul and Chizu Nomiyama)
