This morning, a Sun Country Airlines flight carrying members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport amidst a "potential security threat," said Bob Kerlik, Director of Public Affairs for Allegheny County Airport Authority. According to WPXI, the incident occurred on board the aircraft, which landed safely and did not disrupt ongoing airport operations.
Adding to the details of the event, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra CEO Melia Tourangeau reported receiving messages from staff on the charter plane, which was prevented from proceeding to the terminal on arrival. Soon after landing, law enforcement required all passengers to disembark without their personal items. "A police officer asked for everyone to get off the plane, leaving all their devices and belongings there," Tourangeau told WTAE. The aircraft's passengers were the PSO members returning from a performance at New York's Carnegie Hall the previous night.
Reassurance came later as Mr. Kerlik stated, "Allegheny County police have cleared the potential security threat to the Sun Country flight that landed safely at PIT this morning. The plane has taxied to the gate. Passengers were rescreened out of an abundance of caution. Airport operations were unaffected." This statement, as shared in a report by WTAE, confirmed the benign nature of the incident and the resumption of normalcy after a temporary holdup.
The PSO also issued a response through their spokesperson, extending gratitude to the authorities: "The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra arrived safely in Pittsburgh today after returning from a triumphant sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Upon landing, we were informed of a potential threat to the aircraft. All passengers and crew are safe. We are grateful to the authorities for their swift response and professionalism," as detailed in the statement reported by WTAE. Further comments from the county police were deferred back to the airport authority at the time of the inquiries.
