Las Vegas-New York flight diverted to Kansas City Sunday for ‘possible security issue’ 

An American Airlines flight diverted to Kansas City on its path from Las Vegas to New York Sunday evening due to a “possible security issue.”

Flight AA2002 departed Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) at 1:03 p.m. PDT. While en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the plane made an unexpected landing about three hours later at Kansas City International Airport (MCI), according to FlightAware.

“American Airlines Flight 2002 landed safely at Kansas City International Airport around 6:40 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 26, after the crew diverted due to a possible security issue,” the Federal Aviation Administration told Heartlander News in an email.

No details were provided regarding the security issue, and passengers deplaned upon arrival in Kansas City.

In a Reddit thread, passengers said they were first told a “maintenance issue” was the reason for the diversion, only to later learn from airline staff that there had been a “security incident.” Some passengers said they were told to leave their belongings onboard, including phones, while they deplaned.

“The flight landed safely around 6 p.m. CST at Kansas City International Airport and passengers deplaned and were moved to the terminal until the flight was able to re-board and fly to its final destination later that night,” Jackson Overstreet, public information officer for the KC aviation department, said in an email to Heartlander News.

Overstreet also confirmed airport police responded to the flight Sunday night. KCI airport police were the only law enforcement agency to respond to the scene. Officers cleared the aircraft before passengers could reboard. Airport operations were not impacted during the investigation, Overstreet said.

All passengers were rescreened upon landing at MCI and received negative results, the Kansas City TSA told Heartlander News in a statement. This was standard procedure due to the nature of the diversion, Overstreet said.

“The FBI was notified and had communication with the Kansas City airport and our law enforcement partners about the incident, but we did not respond,” Dixon Land, public affairs specialist with the Kansas City FBI, told Heartlander News in an email.

The Kansas City Police Department said it does not have jurisdiction over the airport in most cases. American Airlines did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

AA2002 departed MCI at 10:26 p.m. CDT Sunday and landed at JFK at 1:48 a.m. EDT Monday morning, more than four hours after is was scheduled to arrive.