Thousands of passengers at Glasgow Airport are anxiously awaiting updates after being left ‘freezing’ in a car park amid a ‘suspicious’ item scare. Emergency services were called to the scene in the security hall shortly before 6am on Monday, December 5, when concerns were raised over a passenger’s bag.
Police Scotland officers and airport staff have ushered dozens of travellers into the multi-storey car park across the road from the travel hub as enquiries remain ongoing. A specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team remains in attendance with a large cordon put in place.
Carol and Billy Martin are set to be flying on the 11.30am easyJet flight to Gran Canaria. They’re travelling with their teenage daughter and her friend, who were hoping to get a four-day break from studying in the sunshine.
The family say they are resigning themselves to the fact that they’ll be heading home to Lanark rather than boarding the flight. Carol, aged in her fifties, said: “We assume that we’re not getting on holiday and that the flight will be cancelled.
“We arrived not long ago but there’s a backlog of thousands of people. It’s been several hours now so the authorities have probably ascertained that it’s something quite serious.
“Our flight to Spain got cancelled in the summer and our plane got delayed coming back from Paris in September. We booked this short break to make up for those things and to get out of the cold. Now we’re standing in the cold in a car park.
“Our car is parked in Paisley but they’ve shut the slip road off so you can go out but you can’t come in. The sheer volume of people now is crazy. There’ll be chaos on the M8 on the way back.
“Everyone seems spirited just now but I’m sure as the morning goes on, people will get frustrated. If our flight is cancelled, that’s it, we can’t rebook. We only get a short time off work and school so that’ll be us holiday wise for the year.”
Friends Olivia Dickinson and Jade Duncan, both 20, are heading to Berlin for a festive break. They travelled from Crieff but aren’t hopeful of catching their 10.06am flight to the German capital.
They told the Record: “We’re freezing. So far, easyJet is telling us the flight is delayed by 25 minutes but it keeps changing. We don’t think we’ll get on it.
“We’ve had no updates, we were running late this morning anyway but now we’re fully expecting not to go. There’s been no panic or alarm as such, the atmosphere is fine, so that’s something.”
The multi-storey car park is currently stowed out with hundreds of travellers hoping to hear some news on when the terminal building will reopen - and if their flights are going ahead.
Many are wrapped in tinfoil sheets and are laden with jackets, bags and heavy suitcases alongside airport staff, who are also waiting for any update on the ongoing incident.
Uniformed police officers are standing guard while security officers direct people to bus and taxi stands, where some people have admitted defeat and are heading for home.
The bomb disposal unit is parked outside the terminal building and workers in hi-vis jackets are patrolling the area.
A statement from Police Scotland said: “Around 5.55 am on Monday, 5 December 2022, police were called to a report of a suspicious item within the security search hall of Glasgow Airport.
“As a precaution and in accordance with procedures, the check-in and security hall areas were closed to the public. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) is in attendance and a cordon is now in place.
“Staff and members of the public have been moved from the check-in area to the multi-storey car park. Police and emergency services remain at the scene. No further details at this time.”
A statement from Glasgow Airport added: “At approximately 6am, Police Scotland attended the airport due to concern around an item in a passenger’s bag in the central search area.
“Access to this part of the terminal is currently restricted while checks are being carried out meaning passengers arriving at the airport for departing flights will face delays. We are liaising with Police Scotland and will provide an update as soon as we can.”
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