Potential threat forces closure of Kansas City airport for few hours

Mohan Sinha
11 Mar 2026, 18:15 GMT+10

The Kansas City International Airport terminal was shut in the morning and evacuated for a potential threat on March 8, but reopened in the afternoon, the Kansas City Aviation Department said
Airport spokesperson Jackson Overstreet said in an email shortly after 2 p.m. that the terminal had reopened
The evacuation started after a threat was reported at about 11:15 a.m

KANSAS CITY, Missouri: The Kansas City International Airport terminal was shut in the morning and evacuated for a potential threat on March 8, but reopened in the afternoon, the Kansas City Aviation Department said.

Airport spokesperson Jackson Overstreet said in an email shortly after 2 p.m. that the terminal had reopened. The evacuation started after a threat was reported at about 11:15 a.m. Flights that arrived after the evacuation began were kept waiting on the taxiway while the terminal was closed, a shutdown that Overstreet said lasted roughly two hours.

In a social media post on March 8 in the afternoon, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the situation had been resolved and that "normal operations are resuming."

Kash Patel also said on social media that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reviewed the threat and determined it was "not credible."

Logan Hawley, 29, said he was waiting to board a flight to Texas when he noticed many police officers and K-9 units inside the terminal.

"Suddenly, an airport worker told everyone to ‘immediately evacuate.' People quickly stood up and rushed out," Hawley said.

He added that about 2,000 people were directed onto the airport tarmac.

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