Melbourne’s Avalon Airport (AVV) in Victoria, Australia, was partially shut down for about four hours after a suspicious package was flagged during security screening just before 6:00 a.m. (local time) on Thursday, May 21 (8:00 p.m. GMT Wednesday). It was later found that the package was a laser hair removal device and a powdered hot chocolate container.
The police response
Once the package was detected, the police were called to the Melbourne airport, and the passenger was initially detained but later released.
Nick Uebergang, Victoria Police Acting Inspector, told reporters that the situation was prolonged because of the man’s attitude:
“It’s fair to say that the person that had the bag probably wasn’t too cooperative with us to start off with, which made things more difficult,” he said.
The man in question, who later spoke to Australian broadcaster 9News, described being approached by police as he was leaving the terminal with other passengers after the evacuation order.
“I didn’t have a list, I wouldn’t say I’m that well planned,” he told 9News, “so I was like, ‘Oh, there’s clothes, and like this hair removal device’.”
The passenger was not charged, the police said, and was able to catch a later flight to Sydney, where he was heading.
Delayed flights
After the bomb squad checked the suspicious package and determined it was a hair removal device and a hot chocolate packet, passengers were allowed to re-enter the terminal.
A Melbourne airport spokesperson told the media that:
The response “demonstrates the vigilance of the screening and security processes,” adding that the measures were “taken immediately to ensure the safety of passengers, staff and the broader community.”
The four-hour shutdown led to delays for domestic flights, with two flights cancelled, to and from Sydney, respectively. International services were unaffected.
Have you ever had a harmless package flagged by airport security? Share your experiences in the comments below!
