US authorities announced that all flights to and from one of the busiest runways in the United States were halted for a time on Tuesday due to a bomb threat.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the threat was directed at a United Airlines flight heading from Houston, Texas, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the Washington, D.C., area.
All other flights were suspended while the plane was moved to an isolated area of ​​the airport and passengers disembarked and bused to the arrivals hall, according to a spokesman for the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority.
A United Airlines spokesman referred all questions to the FBI.
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 outside the airport was 51 minutes Tuesday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. The maximum delay time was more than two hours.
Cross flight delays The country It was on the rise As the federal government enters the second month of the shutdown, leaving air traffic controllers working without pay.
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Associated Press reporter Mike Balsamo contributed reporting from Washington, D.C