An easyJet flight bound for Gatwick triggered a major security alert at Gibraltar airport yesterday after ground handlers reported smellng smoke in the baggage hold.
Passengers and crew were evacuated from the Airbus A319 while explosives experts examined what they thought was a suspect piece of luggage.
The airport was shut down for about two hours in the middle of the day, businesses in the area were also evacuated and all traffic in and out of Gibraltar’s border was halted.
A British Airways flight from Heathrow scheduled to arrive at Gibraltar at 12:45 was diverted to Malaga and continued to Gibraltar some two hours later when police declared the incident at the airport over, said the BBC.
Gibraltar told the broadcaster that the easyJet captain had asked for assistance and military explosives experts carried out an assessment.
EasyJet said the issue was ‘fully investigated prior to the departure’ in line with ‘standard operating procedures’.
It added: "easyJet can confirm that the flight EZY8502 from Gibraltar to London Gatwick on February 8 took a delay due to a smell in the hold of the aircraft which has been thoroughly investigated as a precaution and no cause for concern was detected."
The easyJet flight, with 156 passengers onboard, took off for Gatwick three hours later. The airline has apologised to passengers for the delay. It has since confirmed that there was no technical fault and the source of the smell is unknown.
