Overview
- United Flight 512 from Houston was directed to a remote stand at the airport, where 89 passengers and six crew deplaned via airstairs and were bused to the terminal.
- The FAA imposed a ground stop around 11:18 a.m. ET and reopened runways about 12:50 p.m., leading to average departing delays near 51 minutes and several diversions to Dulles and BWI.
- MWAA police, the FBI’s Washington Field Office and TSA searched the Boeing 737 Max 8 and reported no hazards found.
- Air traffic recordings captured controllers citing an “unconfirmed bomb report,” and dispatch audio reported by NBC Washington described a robotic voice demanding $500,000 in cryptocurrency.
- The source of the threat remains under investigation, and the disruption came as officials announced 10% capacity reductions at 40 high‑volume airports to manage staffing pressures during the shutdown.