Birmingham Airport latest: Flights canceled after bomb threat forces hundreds of passengers to evacuate – The Independent

Flights were delayed after a bomb threat forced hundreds of passengers to evacuate Birmingham Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

Holidaymakers were ordered to leave the UK’s seventh-largest airport as bomb disposal experts from West Midlands Police rushed to inspect a suspicious vehicle parked near the building.

Flights to Paris, Madrid and Tenerife were among those delayed as passengers were advised to contact their airlines for more information.

“Following a search by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, the vehicle is deemed safe. The vehicle is no longer being treated as suspicious,” police told X.

“Everyone’s safety was our primary concern and as a precaution the airport was partially evacuated so the vehicle could be searched and assessed.”

Earlier this year, many passengers were delayed at Birmingham Airport due to long queues at security, with some passengers missing flights.

The airport boss hit back at criticism of the delays, saying a last-minute government decision had created a “very difficult situation for us”.

Chief executive Nick Barton said most passengers get through security in less than half an hour, with extra procedures to deal with peak traffic.

The West Midlands hub was the only major UK airport to meet the June 1, 2024 deadline to install Next Generation security scanners.

They are designed to allow security officers to get a much clearer view of any potentially threatening items in passengers’ hand luggage – and allow passengers to carry much larger quantities of liquids, aerosols and gels (“LAGs”) through screening -the checkpoint than the container of 100 ml limit.

Birmingham Airport is investing £60m in new equipment ahead of the summer peak. The intention was to speed up the security process.

But after ministers decided to return to the previous 100ml limit, far more bags than expected are being rejected – and removed for manual searches.

“Unfortunately, unforeseen events got in the way of good strategy and created a very difficult situation for us here in Birmingham.

“We are still grappling with the consequences of these changes, but we are working on our plan to make things better,” Mr Barton said The Independent.

The timing of today’s incident was not as bad as it could have been: a Wednesday afternoon in late October is not peak time, although some half-term holidaymakers will be affected.

Birmingham Airport is to reopen after a mass evacuation following reports of a suspicious vehicle outside the building.

A spokesman said: “Following a police investigation, operations are now back to normal. If traveling today, customers are advised to check their latest flight information and arrive at the airport in accordance with check-in hours.

“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 law enforcement partners.”

Passengers have expressed frustration at being stuck on planes waiting near the runway at Birmingham Airport.

“I sat on a plane at the airport – I’ve been here for an hour,” said one passenger in response to the airport’s social media post.

Another added: “My mum is stuck on a plane on the runway in Birmingham on the way back from Spain. No one is allowed to get off the plane.

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