Kansas City International Airport faced an evacuation on Sunday amid reports of a “potential threat” within the premises.
Amidst the chaos, bewildered and frightened passengers were seen hastily pulling their luggage onto the tarmac, as all flights were suspended at the Midwest travel hub shortly after 11 a.m.
The FBI has arrived on the scene, though details about the nature of the threat remain undisclosed at this time.
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Aviation Department informed the Daily Mail of their awareness regarding the situation at Kansas City International Airport (MCI).
“As a precautionary measure, the department has evacuated specific sections of the airport terminal,” the statement further explained.
In collaboration with the FBI, airport police are actively investigating to verify any potential threats.
Arriving flights are still being allowed to land, but no departures are permitted, a KCI spokesperson told Fox 4 KC News.
Hundreds of anxious travelers have taken to social media to share videos of the unfolding chaos, with some claiming bomb-sniffing dogs are searching the concourse and terminals.
Confused and terrified passengers were seen dragging their bags out of the airport and onto the tarmac as all flights were grounded out of the Midwest hub
Hundreds of anxious travelers have taken to social media to share videos of the unfolding scene
Logan Hawley, 29, said he was about to board a flight to Texas when he spotted a swarm of police and K9 units inside the terminal, according to KOMU News.
‘Suddenly there was an airport worker saying “immediately evacuate,”‘ he told the outlet. ‘People got up fast and rushed out of there.’
Roughly 2,000 travelers were then ushered onto the tarmac.
One man wrote on X: ‘Kansas City airport being evacuated. We were all told to immediately get to concourse A. K9’s and agents all over the place. No planes on the tarmac.’
Another onlooker, Mike’l Severe, wrote: ‘K9 unit entered the airport a few minutes ago. Probably about a thousand people outside now from the tarmac to the parking areas.’
‘Apparently the inbound section of the airport is still functioning but the outbound is shut down,’ he added in a separate post.
‘Also, roads around MCI have also been shut down.’
Crews with KCTV5 News confirmed that traffic is being diverted away from the airport, and highway exits leading to the airport have been blocked.
Some users on X claim that bomb-sniffing dogs are searching the concourse and terminals
Evacuations are often triggered by suspicious items, threats made by phone or online or intelligence alerts that authorities must verify
A passenger who claimed to have just landed at the airport wrote: ‘There’s an active bomb threat at the Kansas City Airport,’ though those reports remain unconfirmed.
‘My plane from New Orleans just landed,’ the user added. ‘Pilot said we won’t go to the gate for hours.’
Traveler Alex Whitaker shared a video on TikTok showing his experience, which he described as ‘eerie.’
‘No planes at the gate or in the sky,’ he wrote, capturing hundreds of people with their bags on the tarmac, looking on in confusion.
‘We were brought to an underground sheltered area that was then deemed unsafe/uncleared,’ he added. ‘We’ve all been brought now outside, behind a red line.’
In the next clip, he said all travelers were instructed to move further from the building near the airport’s back fences, where they are still waiting for updates or further instructions.
Some travelers shared that their planes were stuck on the taxiway because of the incident, while others said their flights had been diverted.
Scenes like this are not uncommon at major US airports when a potential security threat is reported.
Evacuations are often triggered by suspicious items, threats made by phone or online or intelligence alerts that authorities must verify.
The ongoing evacuation Sunday comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, starting with a deadly joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran.
The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Tehran to launch relentless retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military bases across the Gulf region.
This is a breaking news story.
