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WASHINGTON — Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September. The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20... The seizures at airports in San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore included "wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components and dense clay-like substances," including block cheese, the bulletin said. "The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items raise concern." Security officers were urged to keep an eye out for "ordinary items that...

Ambulances have been sent to Houston's Bush IAH after reports of several sick passengers on an incoming Continental Airlines flight... Developing...

For the second time in as many days, a Continental Airlines plane made an emergency landing at Bush Intercontinental Airport with a possible tire problem, KPRC Local 2 reported. Flight 882 from Bogota landed shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday without incident. "There was an unusual noise heard from the nose landing gear on departure," said Continental Airlines spokesman Dave Messing. Emergency response crews were at the airport when the plane reached Houston. Richard Fernandez, spokesman for the Houston Airport System, said initial reports indicated the plane might have had a problem with a tire in the landing gear. But mechanics...

Houston firefighters are standing by for the emergency landing of a of a 50-passenger jet at Bush Intercontinental Airport, an airport spokesman said today. The Continental Express Embraer 145 took off between 4 and 4:20 p.m., said Rich Fernandez, a spokesman for the Houston Airport System. ``It blew a tire on takeoff and is circling the airport now,'' Fernandez said. ``I do not know what airline this is.'' The Embraer 145 is known as a ``regional jet,'' Fernandez said.

With Air-India eyeing the Texas market for its newest on-ground hub, Houston and Dallas are engaged in an aerial dogfight to determine which city will land the India's national airline. Houston has an advantage in demographics with 120,000 residents of Indian descent, and aviation officials in the city estimate that bringing Air-India to Bush Intercontinental Airport would generate at least $200 million in economic benefits to the area. The Houston Business Journal, however, quoted John Massey, manager of Air-India's marketing programme in New York City as saying that "Right now, there are no definite plans." "There are no formal decisions...

Apparently 10 people overcome by fumes on flight, 4 in critical condition. This was reported at the half hour flash (11:30PM EDT).

The Associated Press 2/2/04 7:13 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- Terror threats that led to cancellation of one domestic and six trans-Atlantic flights have passed, and the government has no plans to ground more planes, officials said Monday. No arrests were made nor weapons seized in relation to the cancellations, and law enforcement officials acknowledged they are unsure whether the steps taken disrupted attacks. But Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and other Bush administration officials said the cancellations were warranted because of the "specific information on when and what flights" the al-Qaida organization had planned to target. "We didn't quite have...

Fox News channel is reporting that Continental Airlines flight 1519 scheduled to depart Washington Dulles International Airport at 5:35 p.m. for G.H.W. Bush International Airport in Houston has been canceled due to terror concerns.This particular flight number turned up in electronic intercepts, but no specific info about method, target, etc. was picked up.Continental released a statement saying they could not meet heightened requirements by Homeland Security for the flight so they canceled it. Government sources told Fox News this was not related to the Super Bowl.