Passengers are advised to check their flight information for updates after a suspicious vehicle was spotted at Birmingham Airport. Around 12:20pm BST on Wednesday, the airport’s terminal building was evacuated and several flights grounded following a police investigation.
All passengers inside the airport building were directed to evacuate, and police began an investigation. According to West Midlands Police, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was sent to investigate the vehicle and the vehicle was declared “safe”.
“The safety and security of everyone at the airport is our highest priority,” an airport spokesperson said in an apology. He apologized for the inconvenience to passengers but also said the action was necessary to ensure everyone’s safety.
The incident caused a disruption in the check- in process of the flights. Police immediately set up a security cordon around the airport and advised people not to travel to the airport. The airport announced that it worked closely with its airline partners to minimize potential disruptions to passengers.
Flights were temporarily grounded on the ground, but flights resumed later, the spokesman said. Only one flight was cancelled. “Once again we apologize for the inconvenience to passengers, but we prioritize their safety.”
Some passengers who had just landed at the airport mentioned their displeasure on social media. A passenger wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “@harmancheeta said, ‘I’m stuck on the plane, it’s getting crowded, please get me out. How long is this going to last?’ Another wrote, “@SpandleRandle said his parents had just returned from Spain and were getting no information at the airport.”
According to the experiences of passengers, some were upset by the confusion. Samia Khan, a passenger, said, “There were no updates, nobody was telling us anything, and it’s completely ridiculous. I could have easily traveled to Amsterdam by train, and maybe next time I will, because traveling by plane has become very difficult.”
Ian Pugh posted a photo of the crowd outside the airport and said, “At first I thought people were going to the train station and maybe the monorail was broken, but the crowd just kept growing.”
Some passengers were directed to congregate at the nearby National Exhibition Center (NEC). Teams from West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service were also at the scene during the incident.
Passengers were allowed to return to the airport again after 3:30pm BST. Earlier, in September, a similar incident took place at Birmingham Airport, when passengers were temporarily directed to evacuate a small area in the arrivals section.