Suspicious Package Leads to Perth Airport Evacuation

May 3, 2008

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UPDATE

West Australian police have declared that several suspicious packages at the centre of a major security scare at Perth’s International Airport are not a threat.

The international airport is now reopening after being closed for 12 hours following baggage handlers’ discovering four suspicious packages in unaccompanied freight.

Australian Federal Police and the bomb squad was called in, all flights were cancelled and the airport was evacuated.

Police say the packages were removed to a safe location to be examined and found not to be a threat.

Passengers are now being allowed back into the terminal.

Airport chief executive Brad Geatches says they are working to reopen the facility.

“We’ve been very pleased with the response from the policing agencies, the emergency agencies and the welfare agencies,” he said.

“It’s been an excellent effort.”

The package, which arrived unaccompanied on a Malaysia Airlines flight, caused one of the biggest police operations ever undertaken at the airport.

Police have evacuated the Perth International Airport building and flights have been diverted after a suspicious package was found on a Malaysian Airlines flight.

All flights are indefinitely delayed as Air New Zealand and Emirates flights remain on the tarmac.

Flight CX171 which was due to arrive at 11.40pm has been diverted to Adelaide and two other flights may also be diverted.Police have blocked all entrances to the airport and cars are backed up for several hundred metres on Horrie Miller Drive.

Hundreds of people were still arriving at the airport at 11pm for late night flights but were unable to enter the airport as planes remained grounded.

People waiting to catch flights were unsure whether to stay and wait or leave.

Assistant Commissioner John McRoberts said a package, which was among unaccompanied freight on a Malaysian Airlines flight, was found on the bitumen underneath an aircraft.

“Earlier this evening, baggage handlers identified a package they thought was suspicious,” he said.

“We are standing by as we speak, for the bomb squad technicians to move in, to look at it, move it to a safe place where it can be x-rayed and be able to open the airport real soon.”

Comm. McRoberts said it was likely to be the biggest scale operation at the airport that he was aware of.

“We are treating it as a very serious incident. We have responded in accordance with our standard operating procedures for these types of events.

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