By james art Operations at Birmingham Airport are “returning to normal” following a report of a suspicious vehicle.
Passengers and staff were evacuated and all flights were grounded on Wednesday afternoon after the airport in West Midlands said police were on the scene “dealing with an incident.”
Passengers were filmed waiting on the roads with their suitcases and bags as they waited to re-enter the airport.
Social media users told how they or family members were left stranded on grounded planes, while one person described the area outside the airport as “chaos”.
In an update just before 4pm, the airport said “operations are now returning to normal” following a police investigation.
Photo: PA
“While we apologize for the inconvenience and disruption, the safety and security of everyone at the airport was our number one priority as we worked through this incident with police partners,” X said in a statement.
West Midlands Police said the partial evacuation was a “precautionary measure” so the vehicle could be searched and assessed.
Photo: PA
Photo: PA
The vehicle was later deemed safe by an explosives disposal team and is no longer being treated as suspicious, the force said.
Passengers due to fly later today are advised to check the latest flight information and arrive at the airport “in accordance with check-in hours”.
Transport links that were disrupted have also returned to normal.
Police tape blocks a road near the airport. Photo: Louisa Cui
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Birmingham Airport is the UK’s seventh largest airport, with just 11.5 million passengers last year.