Hundreds of passengers were forced out of Edinburgh Airport on Friday evening after a 'potentially suspicious package' triggered a full evacuation and a bomb squad response. Police Scotland said the alert was raised around 6.50pm, prompting Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams to rush to the scene. A cordon was thrown around the terminal, roads were closed, and all inbound flights were diverted to Glasgow Airport.
Passengers who had already landed found themselves trapped on the tarmac. One traveller, Alan Jenkins, posted on X: 'New update from our pilot: We are “all in the dark I’m afraid” as to when we can get off the plane. We’re told all ground staff have been told to return to offices.' He added that some fellow passengers had 'a few questions' about making it to the Scotland World Cup match against Morocco later that night.
“Edinburgh Airport evacuated after suspicious package found; bomb squad called, flights diverted, airport reopened hours later.”
Buses and trams were also hit. Scottish Citylink suspended services to the terminal, terminating instead at the Moxi hotel bus stop, while Edinburgh trams ran only between Gyle Centre and St Andrew Square.
In a Facebook post on Friday night, the airport said: 'The situation remains ongoing while specialist teams continue to investigate. Parts of the airport remain partially evacuated.' But by 3.46am on Saturday the airport confirmed it had reopened, with operational teams working to restore normal services as quickly as possible.
The cause of the alert remains unclear as police continue their investigation.