Birmingham Airport flights disrupted by security incident

BBC News - Eleanor Lawson

16 April 2024

Birmingham Airport temporarily suspended all flights after there was believed to have been a security incident on an Aer Lingus plane.

West Midlands Police said they were called on Tuesday at about 16:00 BST after a report of a suspicious item on a flight to Belfast.

The airport reopened at 18:00 BST, they added.

It was being treated as "a false call" and "the item is not suspicious," a spokesperson said.

The plane was diverted shortly after take-off and landed back at Birmingham Airport just after 16:00 BST.

All passengers and crew were evacuated and specialist officers including the dog unit searched the plane, West Midlands Police said.

Aer Lingus said the undeclared item on their regional flight from Birmingham to Belfast was not a security risk and their teams were "working to accommodate impacted passengers".

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