KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City International Airport (KCI) was evacuated on Sunday morning over reports of a “potential threat,” a spokesperson with KCI confirmed.

At about 11:15 a.m., sections of the airport were instructed to evacuate out of precaution after a threat was reported.

More than two hours later, just before 1:45 p.m., travelers and staff were allowed to re-enter the airport.

FBI Director Kash Patel provided the following update on social media later Sunday afternoon:

“An update on the earlier threat at Kansas City International Airport: @FBI and our law enforcement partners quickly responded to the scene and secured the area. The threat was reviewed and determined not to be credible. Terminal has been swept, cleared, and normal operations resumed. Thank you to our federal partners at @USDOT and @SecDuffy for the coordination and quick response. Threats like these are a federal crime. FBI and law enforcement partners will fully investigate and bring to justice anyone responsible.”

At this time, the nature of the threat is still unknown.

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During the investigation, members of the FBI and local law enforcement were on the scene to substantiate the threat, but have not released an update with their findings.

Roads leading to the entrance of the airport from Interstate 29 were blocked off, with all cars being redirected to cell phone lots. The roads are expected to reopen soon, and halts on departures are also expected to be lifted.

According to Flight Aware, there are 127 delays and two cancellations being reported at KCI.

Passengers who spoke with FOX4 were waiting for hours, hoping to make their flights.

“We got here and police redirected us to cell phone like we’ve been waiting here for about two hours now,” said Elena Girolametto.

“We know our plane landed. We watched it land, actually. So, they’re probably stuck on the tarmac, but they haven’t told us if it’s delayed or not yet.”

Some, like Sarah Hoppa, were stuck on the plane upon arrival.

“I’m thinking like, maybe we’re just waiting for a place to park to get off and then [the pilot] came on and said, ‘Actually, we are not going to be deplaning at the moment.’”

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She said they landed around 11:20 and waited nearly two and a half hours.

“We finally got off the plane at a little bit after two. So, we were sitting there for a while,” Hoppa said. “It was definitely unexpected, especially on an early morning flight, plus the time change. I think we were all pretty tired, ready for the travel day to be over.”

Paul Maye was trying to make it home to Portland after a wedding in Kansas City.

“I dropped off our rental and then my mom calls us because she was already at her gate and she was like, ‘Yeah, they’re escorting us out on the tarmac right now.’”

He said he tried to make the best of a scary situation and was thankful that nothing more serious happened.

“It gave me an opportunity to sit down and practice. I brought my guitar along because I wanted to play and work on my technique. I’m thankful that nothing serious happened so that people are safe. My parents, they’re getting on their plane, so we’re all good to go.”

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to FOX4 News for the latest updates and information.

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