Charges have been filed against a woman whose actions temporarily caused the shutdown of all air travel Tuesday evening at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Ivori H. Howard, 22, was charged with impairing or interrupting operation of critical infrastructure facility.
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According to Houston Airports, Howard breached the secured perimeter of the airport and gained access to the airfield around 8:30 p.m. The runway, 15L, was immediately shut down as Houston police and airport operations crews responded to detain the trespasser.
The runway was back in operation around 8:45 p.m., officials said.
The breach reportedly caused at least 43 delays.
“After investigating, Houston Airports determined the woman gained access to the airfield under a portion of perimeter fence that meets federal regulation,” officials said. “Houston Airports worked with TSA to close the gap in the portion of fencing by welding additional security infrastructure.”
The shutdown caused monetary damage, inconvenience to all travelers who had their flights stopped and a great threat to the safety of all Bush Airport due to the stoppage of planes on the ground on a moment’s notice, according to the DA’s Office.
A bond has not been set at the time of this writing.
This is the second security breach in less than two weeks at IAH.
On May 27, Jehffrey Gutirres was arrested after he was found hiding in a plane’s wheel well.
Aviation expert, Josh Verde says both incidents could have ended much worse.
“This is incredibly dangerous. People have done it over the years, and we are talking about going back decades. And it’s usually fatal to the stowaway,” he said.
Officials from the Houston Airport System said the gap in the fence where Howard entered has been closed and secured.
Mayor Sylvester Turner says he is concerned about both incidents and the city will be looking into what went wrong.
“The airport grounds should be the most secure, and we want them to be the most secure, so we are doing a detailed assessment to address that,” he said.
An airport representative said all airports in the city meet federal security guidelines. The facilities follow a multi-layered security approach that works with the TSA, security contractors, and airport employees.