Flights halted at Washington D.C. airport over ‘security issue’

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday halted traffic at Reagan Washington National Airport after a reported threat against a United Airlines plane.

The FAA said operations were halted after a reported security issue and passengers have been taken off the plane, and the aircraft is away from the terminal while authorities investigate.

A person briefed on the matter said a threat had been made against the plane and in an abundance of caution the plane was being checked.

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United referred questions to the FBI. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Reagan Airport is just 5 miles from the White House and U.S. Capitol and the FAA imposes special security restrictions around the airspace.

FlightRadar24, a flight tracking site, said the issue was prompted by an unconfirmed threat against a United flight that had arrived from Houston and added the airport was preparing to reopen just before 1 p.m. ET.

More than 160 flights have already been delayed at Reagan, according to FlightAware.