Glasgow Airport (GLA) was temporarily evacuated in the early hours of December 5, 2022 after a “suspicious item” was found within the security search hall of the airport.
Police Scotland was called to the scene at 06:00 local time, and passengers were moved to the airport carpark, where they waited for a couple of hours.
The terminal’s check-in and central search areas are closed due to an ongoing incident and passengers have been moved outside the building to our covered car park.
— Glasgow Airport (@GLA_Airport) December 5, 2022
We are liaising with Police Scotland on site and will provide a further update when we can.
Video footage of the carpark was uploaded on Twitter, where passengers can be seen waiting. Some passengers were given emergency foil blankets for protection against the cold.
Awful scenes in Glasgow airport. Thousands crammed in a freezing car park after airport evacuation. It’s horrible and bitterly cold pic.twitter.com/RcOpBXNbcg
— Rav Wilding (@RavWilding) December 5, 2022
The central search and domestic arrival areas were sealed off by police until a Royal Navy bomb disposal unit arrived.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team (EOD) team confirmed to the BBC that the item was “innocent in nature”.
“Police were called to a report of a suspicious item within the security search hall of Glasgow Airport. As a precautionary measure, and in accordance with procedures, the check-in and security search hall areas were closed to the public and a cordon implemented,” a spokesperson for the EOD said.
Police Scotland have confirmed the incident has been stood down and our staff are now in the process of welcoming passengers back into the terminal and providing any assistance required.
— Glasgow Airport (@GLA_Airport) December 5, 2022
We would like to thank our passengers for their patience.
Passengers were allowed back into the airport building at 12:30 noon local time.
Glasgow Airport confirmed to the media that 22 flights had been canceled and three had been diverted due to the evacuation.