A reported threat forced the temporary evacuation of a terminal at Kansas City International Airport on Sunday, prompting a rapid response from law enforcement before operations were later restored.
According to the New York Post, officials said the situation unfolded late Sunday morning and briefly disrupted travel as authorities investigated the potential security concern.
Sean Duffy confirmed later in the day that the issue had been resolved.
“The security incident at [Kansas City International Airport] is now clear and normal operations are resuming,” Duffy wrote on X.
“I want to thank law enforcement including the FBI for their timely response. The safety of our passengers, airport staff, and crew members is always our number one priority.”
Airport officials said the threat was first reported at approximately 11:50 a.m. local time. At that point, authorities ordered a full evacuation of one terminal while the situation was assessed.
Jackson Overstreet said the move was taken out of an abundance of caution as investigators worked to determine whether the threat was credible.
Aircraft that landed during the investigation were not immediately brought to the gate. Instead, they remained on the taxiway until the situation could be addressed.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, assisted local authorities in evaluating the threat.
FBI spokesperson Dixon Land said the bureau was “aware of the incident” and worked alongside other officials “to determine the credibility of a threat.”
Passengers inside the airport described a sudden and urgent evacuation.
Logan Hawley, 29, said he had been preparing to board a flight to Texas when police officers and K-9 units began appearing throughout the terminal.
“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying ‘immediately evacuate,’ people got up fast and rushed out of there,” Hawley said.
He estimated that roughly 2,000 travelers were directed out of the terminal and onto the airport’s tarmac as authorities secured the area.
Images and videos shared online showed large groups of passengers gathering outside the terminal and being guided across the tarmac during the evacuation.
After authorities cleared the scene and completed their investigation, airport officials announced that normal operations had resumed.
