Police and fire departments of the Port of Seattle are investigating a reported threat made aboard an aircraft on a runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday.
According to a Port of Seattle travel alert, police and firefighters arrived to investigate the incident — which involved an aircraft on the 16R/34L runway — around 1:00 p.m. Saturday. According to a Saturday afternoon statement released by port spokesperson Chris Guizlo, Seattle Police learned of a threat made by a passenger to Alaska Airlines flight 2123 departing to Walla Walla.
According to the statement, flight crew followed protocol to taxi the aircraft to the outboard runway furthest from the terminal as police arrived to investigate.
As a result, two runways were closed around 1:16 p.m. and passengers on the flight were deplaned and put through a security screening around 1:34 p.m. Passengers, baggage and the aircraft were cleared through K9 inspection, and no suspicious items were found, according to the statement.
According to the statement, a suspect was taken into custody. Further investigation found “made a flippant remark regarding a bomb” to the flight crew. All such remarks are taken seriously and investigated, according to the Port of Seattle statement.
The FBI and port police are reviewing the incident and will work with prosecutors to decide whether to pursue charges, according to the statement.
As of 1:58 p.m., Port of Seattle updated their travel alert to state all passengers have been deplaned and the center runway had been reopened. According to the statement, the aircraft was cleared by 3 p.m. and towed back to the terminal, and runway 16R/34L was reopened by 3:15 p.m.
At 3:19 p.m., the Port of Seattle issued another update announcing that the airport would return to normal operations.
Travelers are advised to monitor their airlines for further information on their specific flights.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include new information about the nature of the aircraft incident.
