Manchester Airport T1 Re-opens after Bomb Scare

Passengers have been cleared to return to Manchester airport despite the bomb scare last week.  Flights are operating as normal and vehicles are being allowed back into Terminal One. Russell Craig of Manchester Airport operations said: “Come to the airport as planned. Manchester airport will be able to return to normal very quickly, but do expect some disruption.”  Security forces had found a suspicious bag in the hand luggage x-ray machine scan.

Terminal One of Manchester airport had to be evacuated according to standard procedure and the police called the bomb squad in.

1,200 passengers and 20 flights were affected by the disruption. Inbound flights were redirected to other terminals as Terminal One was cordoned off but bomb experts decided there was no threat.

The 30-year-old owner of the package was questioned and then released as no offence had been committed. A bottle of water and a phone charger in his bag had given the appearance of a home-made bomb. Terminals Two and Three were not affected by the disruption and remain open as normal.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: "An investigation by specialists from Greater Manchester Police has now confirmed that the bag was not a threat. We would like to pay tribute to our highly trained security staff who acted bravely and calmly in the face of danger.

"Although they were just doing their job, they view hundreds of X-ray images everyday. They ensure that any suspicious items are taken seriously so that we can prioritise the safety of our passengers and staff as was the case today.

He added: "Furthermore we would like to thank all our passengers and airport staff for their patience during the disruption."

Manchester airport is one of the largest and busiest airports in the United Kingdom and it deals with a high volume of domestic and international traffic through its three terminals. Terminal one has low cost lights with Ryanair as well as scheduled services with companies such as bmi and Air France.