Arrivals and departures from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were halted temporarily Tuesday after a bomb threat was made against an arriving United Airlines flight.
The bomb threat was made against United Airlines Flight 512, which was set to arrive from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The plane landed at about 11:30 a.m. and was cordoned off on an adjacent runway away from the terminal, Reagan National officials said.
“They said the call came in at 11:18. It was a voice of a robotic male tone. They disconnected the call after a few minutes, say they wanted 500K in crypto or they would do something about it,” dispatchers said, according to audio provided by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to WRC-TV.
The runways at the airport remained closed under a ground stop while passengers aboard Flight 512 were evacuated and taken to the terminal. There were 89 passengers and six crew members aboard the aircraft, according to WTOP-FM.
The runways reopened at about 12:50 p.m., though several flights were redirected to other airports during the temporary closure, Reagan National officials said.
The FBI’s Washington field office said that law enforcement searched the aircraft and “no hazards were found.”
In a statement, United Airlines said, “United Flight 512 landed safely after a potential security concern. Customers deplaned via airstairs and were bused to the terminal. Law enforcement officials searched and cleared the aircraft and it has since taxied to the gate.”
At about 1:24 p.m., Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said on X that the Federal Aviation Administration received an all clear and resumed operations at Reagan National.
“I want to thank our brave men and women in law enforcement for their quick response,” Mr. Duffy said.
Authorities have not said who could have been behind the bomb threat. The incident is causing delays for the rest of Tuesday, about 87 minutes on average, according to an FAA advisory.
