American Airlines Plane Returns To Charlotte Airport Due To Security Threat, Passengers Evacuated

An American Airlines flight traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was forced to return to the airport Monday night due to a security threat, airline officials reportedly said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police evacuated all 178 passengers from the twin-jet Airbus A321, an American Airlines official told the Charlotte Observer.

The airline authorities said earlier that they were trying to get the passengers “on their way,” the Associated Press reported, citing Katie Cody, a spokeswoman for American Airlines.

Oto Osenkis, one of the stranded passengers quoted by the Charlotte Observer, said the airline authorities transferred all the passengers on a new plane with a new crew. “Everyone is tired and want(s) to go home,” he told the local daily. “I’m sure it’s been a long day for everyone."

The passengers were reportedly told to leave their belongings and phone on the flight as the police searched the plane. The plane was in the air for about 24 minutes after it took off from the Charlotte airport at 8:43 p.m., CBS News reported, adding that it made an emergency return at 9:07 p.m.

The airline spokeswoman reportedly did not specify the kind of threat the plane received.