East Midlands Airport was evacuated yesterday morning following concerns raised during security screening over an item of checked-in luggage. According to a statement later made by an airport spokesperson, the evacuation took place as a precautionary measure and the incident did not pose any risk to passengers or staff.
Why was the airport evacuated?
The sole terminal for East Midlands Airport was evacuated at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 26 May. This evacuation took place due to unspecified concerns that were raised regarding a checked-in item of luggage that were raised during security screening.
Following the incident, social media posts shared by passengers show people gathered on the airport runway as planes circle overhead.
When news of the airport’s evacuation broke, a spokesperson for the airline Jet2 told The Sun:
“We are aware that East Midlands Airport have been evacuated, we are working on the situation and will update you soon. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this and hopefully have you back inside as soon as possible.”
Shortly before 11:30 a.m., the airport confirmed in a statement to The Mirror that the issue was now resolved and passengers had been allowed back into the airport terminal. Subsequent flights from East Midlands departed on time with no further delays.
The airport speaks out
In a statement made shortly after the conclusion of the evacuation, a spokesperson for the airport told the BBC:
“As a precautionary measure, we evacuated our terminal this morning after our security screening equipment highlighted a concern with a checked-in item of luggage. Investigations have now concluded that there is no risk and we are resuming normal operations, with passengers re-entering the terminal.”
They also apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers during the incident.
Have you ever flown from East Midlands Airport before? What do you think about this incident? Let us know in the comments below!
