Officials briefly evacuated travelers from the Kansas City International Airport in Missouri after an unspecified threat was reported on Sunday.
“The Kansas City Aviation Department is aware of a situation at Kansas City International Airport (MCI),” the airport said in a statement posted on social media at around 1:45 p.m. “As a precaution, the department has evacuated sections of the Airport Terminal.”
“Airport Police are working with the FBI to substantiate any potential threat,” the airport said. “Updates to follow.”
The department was first made aware of the incident shortly before noon, and the evacuation was conducted so that authorities could search the building, a spokesperson told the US Mirror. Unverified reports indicated there may have been a potential bomb threat.
At around 3:00 p.m., a department spokesperson told The Independent that “the evacuation is over” and that “the terminal has since reopened.”
The FBI told KSHB 41 that the bureau is “aware of the incident,” and that federal officials are “working with airport and law enforcement officials to determine the credibility of the threat.”
The sudden evacuation triggered major disruptions in the area.
Both inbound and outbound flights have been grounded, while traffic has been shifted away from the Missouri airport, according to KAKE News. Southwest Airlines confirmed that several flights headed for Kansas City were diverted on Sunday.
Video obtained by the outlet shows dozens of passengers rolling their luggage away from the airport, while others stood idly on the tarmac. Police were spotted nearby on motorcycles and with dogs.
“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying ‘immediately evacuate,’ people got up fast and rushed out of there,” a traveler told KAKE News.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said in a statement that a section of the interstate near the airport is closed and that drivers must use an alternate route.
A representative for the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
A similar incident occurred on New Year’s Eve in 2025. Air travelers were evacuated from the airport as a result of a “potential threat,” but law enforcement ultimately determined it was not credible.
A counterterrorism expert cautioned earlier this week that Americans should remain vigilant in crowded areas, such as airports, as the U.S. conflict with Iran continues following its outbreak in late February.
The Kansas City airport was listed as the forty-fourth busiest in the U.S. in 2022 by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, servicing 4.7 million passengers that year.
This is a breaking story…
