Over the course of this morning, Perpignan Airport has been evacuated due to explosives found in the X-Ray machine.
Local media are reporting that the airport has just reopened to commercial traffic following this incident.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
The Incident at Perpignan Airport…
Media reports in France have stated that explosives were detected on a suitcase at Perpignan Airport.
It is understood this was discovered at 9am this morning, in someone’s cabin baggage.
From there, the terminal was immediately evacuated and aircraft directed to hangars.
This included Ryanair flight FR3972 from Agadir to Perpignan.
FR3972 entered a series of holds before eventually being cleared to land, but held on a taxiway for 40 minutes.
It is understood the passengers had to wait whilst bomb disposal teams addressed the security threat.
By 1220 local time, the disposal teams detonated the baggage, and the police have arrested a man in connection.
As for the Ryanair flight, the return to Agadir from Perpignan will continue as filed, but with a delay.
What Happens Now Following the Evacuation?
Following Perpignan Airport being evacuated, as well as the disposal of the explosives, commercial services will resume.
Airport operations resumed around 20-25 minutes ago at the time of writing (27/2/24 @ 1pm UK time).
The man arrested will be further detained and questioned into why such explosives were detected.
But for now, the police and authorities have enough knowledge that no further threats are present.
This is the first evacuation that Perpignan Airport has dealt with in the last two to three years.
Over the last 12 months, there have been a series of evacuations in airports across France due to security threats.
Back in October, six French airports were evacuated due to receiving email threats that stated there were bombs present.
Looking ahead, the authorities will continue to monitor any potential security threats moving forward.
As soon as we have more information pertinent to this, then we will update this article accordingly.
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