Flights were stopped at Regina’s airport Monday morning after police found a suspicious item in a woman’s carry-on bag.
The second floor of the airport was evacuated, Richard Graham, Regina Airport Authority’s CEO and president , said.
“Something was found in the screening system, and it was necessary to move people away from the area.”
“What we’re facing here is something that so very rarely happens in Canadian airports,” he said.
Police were called and emergency procedures were activated around 10 a.m., he said.
Police said a 49-year-old woman was questioned but later released after the suspicious item was found to not be explosive.
Authorities would not say what the suspicious item was, but police said it was transported away from the airport to a remote site and investigated further.
The Regina Police Service Explosives Disposal Unit was then able to determine it was not an explosive device.
Meanwhile, some planes were still allowed to land, but none were allowed to leave, causing hours of delays for passengers.
“Few airports have situations where something is found in screening where you’re evacuating a big part of the airport, so I would say it’s very infrequent that this kind of situation happened,” Graham aid.
“I’m very relieved that we err on the side of caution no matter what, and that if any suspect baggage is found going through pre-board screening, that it is promptly dealt with.”
Most passengers said they were aware of the need for caution but were hoping for more information while the incident was happening.
“Everyone’s speculating. We’re wondering what on earth could cause us to have to be down this way,” Melissa Hoffort, a Vancouver Island-bound passenger, said.
“Everyone has their theories, but I don’t think anybody’s really worried about anything.”
About four hours after flights were halted, the airport announced they would resume. Many flights were expected to be backed up for the remainder of the day, Graham said.
“A lot of people were very happy to know that it’s time to reboard their flights and get going. I saw nothing but smiles,” he said.
New screening technology had just been built into the airport a few months ago, Graham said, when checked baggage screening was activated in November. “We’ve got the best technology available, and I’m very happy it has worked well,” he said.
Graham said the airport held debriefings to discuss its response to the incident on Monday afternoon, and a report will be filed in the coming days.
With files from Shawn Knox and Alexa Huffman