Hundreds of travelers evacuated Kansas City International Airport Sunday afternoon following an unspecified threat that grounded flights and caused major travel disruptions.
Kansas City Airport Evacuation
The incident was reported around 11:50 a.m. local time. Unverified reports suggested a potential bomb threat.
Passengers were seen exiting the terminal with luggage, while others waited on the tarmac. Both inbound and outbound flights were grounded, and a section of the interstate near the airport was closed.
“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying ‘immediately evacuate,’ people got up fast and rushed out of there,” one traveler told KAKE News.
After a search by law enforcement, the threat was deemed not credible and people were allowed to return to the terminal. At around 3 p.m., a department spokesperson said “the evacuation is over” and that “the terminal has since reopened.”
“The threat was reviewed and determined not to be credible,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X at 4 p.m. “Threats like these are a federal crime. FBI and law enforcement partners will fully investigate and bring to justice anyone responsible.”
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for further information.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed shortly after 3 p.m. that the “security incident” is “now clear and normal operations are resuming.” He expressed gratitude to the FBI and other law enforcement personnel “for their timely response.”
The evacuation led to major travel interruptions. A heavy police presence was seen outside the airport.
Both inbound and outbound flights were grounded, and traffic was shifted away from the airport, according to KAKE News. Southwest Airlines confirmed that several flights headed for Kansas City were diverted on Sunday.
Tensions are currently heightened at international airports as the U.S. conflict with Iran escalates. Since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attack in late February, several airports in the Middle East have sustained damage as a result of Iranian drone strikes — including in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
A counterterrorism expert cautioned earlier this week that Americans should remain vigilant in airports and other crowded areas.
Sunday’s evacuation comes less than one month after officials abruptly shut down the airspace over El Paso International Airport. The travel ban stemmed from border officials firing a high-energy laser at what they believed to be a cartel drone, but it turned out to be a balloon, according to reports.
It’s the second evacuation from the Kansas airport in the past three months. On New Year’s Eve, travelers were instructed to leave the airport as a result of a “potential threat,” but law enforcement ultimately determined it was not credible. The Kansas City airport is the 44th busiest in the U.S., servicing 4.7 million passengers in 2022.
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