UK’s Bristol Airport has reopened after it was closed for six hours when a suspicious-looking package was found on an aircraft.
The package and a written note were found on the Ryanair flight FR8297 flying in from Alicante, southern Spain, during a routine inspection of the plane around midnight on 22 August.
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Ryanair communications head Robin Kiely later confirmed that the threat was a hoax.
Kiely said in a statement: "Police carried out a security search and cleared the aircraft to return to service at 8.55am on Sunday. Ryanair sincerely apologised for any inconvenience caused."
The temporary closure led to the delay of several flights on Sunday, with many diverted to other airports including Cardiff, Birmingham or Stansted.
An airport spokesperson was quoted by the Bristol Post as saying: "Passengers were evacuated from the terminal as a precaution and the airport was temporarily closed to air traffic, reopening at approximately 5:45am after police were satisfied that the item did not represent a threat.
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By GlobalData
"As a result of this incident a total of 12 inbound flights diverted to other airports, and arrangements were made to bring aircraft and passengers back to Bristol.
"Some delays to Sunday’s flight schedule were expected as a result of this incident, but Bristol Airport worked with airlines to minimise disruption to passengers wherever possible."
Image: The terminal at the Bristol Airport. Photo: courtesy of Nigel Mykura.
