The Burlington International Airport in Vermont was closed for several hours after a bomb threat was left on a note in the bathroom of a United Airlines flight. United Airlines flight 3613, an Embraer 175 en route to Burlington, VT from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, was the subject of a bomb threat prior to landing at Burlington International Airport.
The incident during the flight
The pilots of United Airlines flight 3613 were notified that a note with a bomb threat was found in the bathroom just twenty minutes before the flight was scheduled to land. The pilots notified Air Traffic Control of the threat and this began the emergency response at the time of landing. This response caused the airport to close for several hours after the United flight touched down in Burlington.
As the United Airlines flight landed at Burlington International Airport, the plane was directed to a specific area of the airport. The airplane landed at around 16:30 pm Eastern Standard Time. Once the plane was directed to a separate area of the airfield, K-9 units were brought onto the plane to search it. After the police search was completed and no threats were found, passengers were allowed to get off and deplane. The time that all the passengers were able to exit the plane was just after 19:00 pm EST.
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However, none of the 65 passengers were able to bring any personal items with them. All the passengers were brought to a terminal where they were briefed on the situation and were then able to retrieve all of their luggage and personal belongings.
Passenger Phil Baruth spoke about the issue, saying,
"It feels unfair on one hand that someone left a note and ruined everyone’s days. Obviously, someone a little deranged. On the other hand, authorities here handled everything perfectly, and at no time did I feel unsafe"
Police ruling
The Burlington Police Department, along with several other law enforcement agencies, such as the Vermont National Guard fire and rescue department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI, responded immediately to the incident.
They initiated the search onboard the plane using K-9 units. It was ruled that authorities found nothing unusual or suspicious. The authorities initiated a federal investigation that is currently ongoing.
Acting chief of the Burlington Police Department, Jon Murad, said,
"What we have here is a safe group of people. We have a safe plane. We have a safe airport. We have procedures that were followed, and we have a successful outcome."
Additionally, no injuries were reported, and the authorities spoke about the incident saying there was no reason to believe the incident was anything but isolated.
Republic Airways, the operator of the flight, released a statement about the incident, which said:
"Out of an abundance of caution, the aircraft taxied to a remote location in Burlington, and a precautionary security sweep of the aircraft was performed with no findings. We offer our sincere thanks to local first responders for their quick and professional response and to all aboard for their patience and understanding."