Operations have returned to normal following an investigation into a bomb threat that was reported at the Tupelo Regional Airport early Thursday morning.
According to the City of Tupelo, the airport was one of multiple locations across the nation that received an emailed bomb threat at around 7:45 a.m.
Nancy Leigh McDade was on board a flight departing from Tupelo Regional when she and other occupants were asked to exit the plane.
“I just so happened to look up and saw a gentleman stick his head in and say, ‘Get everyone off the plane.’ Someone stood up in front of me and started screaming, ‘Get off. Get off now,'” McDade explained. “We thought it was a fire, but it was actually a bomb threat, so we got moved to the other end of the airport.”
Bomb detection dogs searched the area shortly after, with the “all clear” signal being released around 10:15 a.m.
The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and Stennis International Airport also received a similar threat over email, resulting in the evacuation of all passengers and a security search of the premises.
All departures and arrivals at the airport were temporarily paused due to the security issue, but have since been returned to normal operations.
The threat was investigated by authorities with the Tupelo Airport Authority, Tupelo Fire Department, and Tupelo Police Department. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were also notified of the situation.
