Passengers on a United Airlines flight from Houston were evacuated on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday after a phone threat was made against the aircraft, demanding a large cryptocurrency payment. The incident caused a temporary ground stop that paused all arrivals and departures at the airport. Travelers were taken off the plane and bused to the terminal. On the same day, a separate security issue led to the evacuation of a Delta flight at LaGuardia Airport, as reported by KHOU.
What officials say and local reactions
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the Reagan National pause and said law enforcement cleared the plane. The Post reported that an anonymous caller demanded $500,000 in cryptocurrency and that the FBI found no hazardous materials after searching the jet. Local coverage in Houston also noted long TSA PreCheck lines at George Bush Intercontinental earlier in the day and quoted passengers describing confusion aboard the flight.
Evacuation at Reagan National
United Flight 512 — a Boeing 737 Max 8 from George Bush Intercontinental — landed midmorning and was directed to a remote area while emergency crews searched the aircraft, according to Reuters. The FAA imposed a ground stop that left dozens of other flights holding or diverting; tracking data showed hundreds of delays before operations resumed. Authorities, including the FBI and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, declared the aircraft safe and allowed customers to be screened and returned to the terminal, per reporting by the Associated Press.
Another scare at LaGuardia
On Tuesday, a Delta flight bound for Minneapolis was deplaned at LaGuardia’s Terminal C after crew members reported a possible security threat. Port Authority police and Delta said the aircraft was moved away from the gate, passengers were evacuated, and the jet was cleared by about 10 p.m., as noted by FOX 5 NY. Officials said there is no known link between this and the United Airlines incident, and investigations are ongoing.
Shutdown strains staffing, officials warn
The incidents occurred during a prolonged federal government shutdown, which has left many FAA employees and TSA officers working without pay and affecting airport operations. Transportation Secretary Duffy warned that "you will see mass chaos" and that the FAA might need to close parts of U.S. airspace if controllers miss another paycheck, as mentioned by KHOU.
What travelers should expect
Airlines emphasized that safety was their top priority: United said customers were deplaned and assisted after the security sweep, and Delta said it followed standard procedures in deplaning and screening its flight, as reflected in carrier statements. Passengers should expect residual delays while airlines and the FAA recover schedules; tracking services measured dozens of diversions and hundreds of delayed flights tied to the ground stop and its ripple effects.
Investigation and legal angle
The FBI and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police are leading the probe into the Reagan National threat while Port Authority and local police handled the LaGuardia sweep, the Associated Press reports. Making a bomb threat is a federal offense and investigators say they will follow call and digital records to try to identify the source; no arrests or charges have been announced.
