A security alert at Manchester Airport grounded aircraft and forced the evacuation of passengers for almost two hours at Terminal 1 this morning.
The terminal was cleared while police investigated a suspicious bag in the main security search area. The terminal re-opened at 12.10.
Manchester Airport reported delays to up to 11 departing flights. However, it advised passengers to travel to the airport as planned. Arriving flights were not affected and the airport said Terminals 1 and 2 continued to operate normally.
In a statement, the airport said: “We will be looking to return the operation to normal over the next few hours. We remind passengers that we take security very seriously, and that an evacuation is a standard precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our passengers and staff.”
The airport reported the terminal was evacuated at 10.20am. It confirmed the suspect bag was discovered at 08.30am and, following discussions with a passenger and re-X-ray of the bag, the bomb squad called in. Police questioned a man under the Terrorism Act, but he was subsequently released.