By james art 
A bomb threat forced hundreds of holidaymakers to evacuate Birmingham Airport on Wednesday afternoon as flights were canceled and delayed.
Passengers were ordered to leave the airport, the UK’s seventh largest, as bomb disposal experts rushed to inspect a suspicious vehicle parked near the building.
Flights to Paris, Madrid and Tenerife were among those delayed as some passengers were forced to wait on the tarmac for hours amid the travel chaos. At least one flight was cancelled.
One passenger said: “I got on a plane at the airport – I’ve been here for an hour,” in response to the airport’s social media post.
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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.
West Midlands Police said customers were evacuated and a cordon was put in place following reports of a suspicious vehicle outside an airport terminal.
“Following a search by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, the vehicle is deemed safe. The vehicle is no longer being treated as suspicious,” a force spokesman said.
“Everyone’s safety was our primary concern and as a precaution the airport was partially evacuated so the vehicle could be searched and assessed.”
The airport reopened after hours of disruption and passengers were advised to check the latest flight information before arriving at the terminals.
Amid the chaos, one passenger said on social media: “Holy shit, I’ve got to go on holiday and I’ve just got to Birmingham airport, everything is on lockdown. Typical of this…”
Another frustrated passenger added: “I’m stuck on the plane, feeling claustrophobic, begging to get off. How long will this situation take?”.
It was the second time the airport was evacuated this year after a security incident on a plane in mid-April.
A specialist police unit searched the plane after an unidentified package was found on an Aer Lingus flight from Belfast.
In this case, police described the incident as a “hoax call with very good intentions” as the airport remained closed throughout the afternoon.
A spokesman for Birmingham Airport said The Independent: “The airport is working closely with its airline partners to minimize any potential disruption to customers.
“Most of the flights that were conducted on the ground have already taken off. There was only one canceled flight.
“Customers are still advised to check the status of their flight with their airline. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience to our passengers.
“The safety and security of everyone at the airport was our number one priority as we worked through this incident with police partners.”