Officials briefly evacuated travelers from the Kansas City International Airport in Missouri after an unspecified threat was reported on Sunday, triggering major disruptions in the area. Normal operations have since resumed.

“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.”

In a post on X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the “security incident” is “now clear and normal operations are resuming.” He expressed gratitude to the FBI and other law enforcement personnel “for their timely response.”

The sudden evacuation led to major travel interruptions in the area.

Both inbound and outbound flights were grounded, while traffic was 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.

“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying ‘immediately evacuate,’ people got up fast and rushed out of there,” a traveler told KAKE News.

A heavy police presence was seen outside the airport, with some officers mounted on motorcycles.

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 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.

Sunday’s evacuation comes less than one month after officials abruptly shut down the airspace over El Paso International Airport. The travel ban, which was reversed in a matter of hours, stemmed from border officials firing a high-energy laser at what they believed to be a cartel drone, but it turned out to be a balloon, according to reports.

It’s also not the first evacuation at the Kansas City airport. A similar incident occurred on New Year’s Eve in 2025. Air travelers were instructed to leave the airport as a result of a “potential threat,” but law enforcement ultimately determined it was not credible.

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.

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