MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WPTF) – Tense moments at Raleigh-Durham International Airport Monday morning (March 30). A unspecified threat led to an early morning evacuation of terminal one.
The evacuation started around 4:30 am and passengers were allowed to return about 90 minutes later.
The terminal houses Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Avelo Airlines, Breeze Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Sun Country Airlines.
“Airlines and airports have a very specific security protocol anytime a threat or a perceived threat rolls out,” aviation analyst Jay Ratliff told Lisa Price on the WPTF Morning News, “One of the things they are going to do is err on the side of caution, they’re going to remove passengers from the affected area. That gives them the opportunity to do the security checks that are required.”
“The inconvenience is a secondary concern, you’re going to make sure everybody is safe,” Ratliff continued. “And the airport followed their protocol.”
No additional information on the threat has been released.
The incident comes amid word that President Trump is using an executive order to pay Transportation Safety Administration workers, who have been without paychecks since February. Congress has been debating Homeland Security funding with Democrats arguing for more restrictions on immigration enforcement tactics.
As of early Monday, bottlenecks disappeared at airports in Atlanta and Houston. But wait times pushed past two hours at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport continued to advise travelers to arrive three hours before departure.
While it took some time to clear security lines at terminal one once it re-opened, minimal impacts have been reported at RDU from the overall TSA workplace situation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.