Reported threat halts flights at Washington's Reagan airport for a time

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All flights into and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports, were halted for a time Tuesday due to a reported bomb threat, federal authorities announced.

The threat was directed toward a United Airlines flight traveling from Houston to the Washington-area airport, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X.

All other flights were put on hold while the aircraft was moved to an isolated area of the airport. The 89 passengers and six crew members disembarked from the Boeing 737 plane and were bussed to the terminal, United Airlines and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s National Capital Response Squad responded to the reported threat and said no hazardous materials were found. Law enforcement was investigating the threat, authorities said.

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

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

Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight about to take off from LaGuardia Airport in New York also had to get off the plane due to reports of a bomb threat Tuesday night, according to a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority Police Department later “cleared the plane.���

“The safety and security of our customers and employees comes before all else and we apologize for the delay in their travels,” Delta said in a statement.

Flight delays across the country have been on the rise as the federal government enters the second month of a shutdown, leaving air traffic controllers to work without pay.

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The agency's name has been corrected to the Federation Aviation Administration, not the Federal Aviation Authority.

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Associated Press reporters Mike Balsamo in Washington and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed reporting.