Police respond to bomb alert at Queenstown Airport

Queenstown Airport reopened at 3pm following a bomb threat which prompted an evacuation and emergency response on Friday morning.

Police and Aviation Security began investigating reports of what appeared to be “an explosive device” at 8.40am on Friday, a police spokesperson said.

The Defence Force’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit visited the site and deemed the “reported items posed no threat”, an airport spokesperson said as the airport reopened.

Throughout the day about 25 flights were disrupted or cancelled.

About 250 passengers were taken by bus to the Queenstown Events Centre, near the airport, and were provided with food, drinks and activities until the airport reopened.

Queenstown Airport thanked members of the public for their patience and understanding.

The police cordon had been lifted and passengers were free to collect luggage and vehicles, while those with a confirmed flight reservation were also requested to come to the airport.

“If you have been impacted and do not have a confirmed booking, please contact your airline,” was the authorities advice.

The airport had been evacuated, and its emergency security protocols activated, with passengers taken by bus to a secure location earlier on Friday.

At 11am, Queenstown Airport said it would “likely take several hours” while authorities worked through the risk assessment process.

Food and shelter had been arranged for passengers who required it at the Queenstown Event Centre.

Queenstown Lakes District mayor Glyn Lewers said the the event centre had accommodated “approximately 200 passengers that were evacuated”.

Lewers said about 11.30am they were waiting for the Defence Force to arrive from Christchurch.

Police advised people to avoid the airport and there were no flights in or out of Queenstown during the incident.

Further updates on flight details were to be provided on the Queenstown Airport Facebook page.

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer David Morgan said due to the incident, four inbound flights had been cancelled, and one flight had returned to Christchurch.

Six outbound flights from Queenstown had also been cancelled. They were flights to Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

“We apologise to our passengers for the disruption, especially as this has happened at the end of the busy school holidays period. Safety is our number one priority, and we are working with the relevant authorities,” Morgan said.

A Jetstar spokesperson said two flights have been affected by the incident so far.

Wānaka resident Hayley Barbour said her mother-in-law, also from Wānaka, had her flight cancelled and was waiting in the rain with other passengers in one of the airport’s car parks, about 10.30am, as they were being moved by bus to the event centre.

Barbour said they had been advised that the delays would be a “few hours”.

Louella, her mother-in-law, was catching a flight on her way to her great-niece’s wedding tomorrow, and had caught an early bus from Wānaka to the airport, to make sure she was on time.

But one hour later, Barbour said Air New Zealand had been “amazing” and Louella was booked on another flight tomorrow morning to get to the wedding.

It was a shame that the family had got more information from Facebook than the airport had given to passengers waiting outside, she said.

A person who walked past the airport said police were everywhere.

Tom Clarke and Luisa Navanteri, a couple from Sydney, were waiting at the airport for a flight that was supposed to leave at 2.25pm and had been pushed back to 3.30pm.

They had been in Queenstown for a week on holiday and said they presumed that the flight was still going ahead.

When they arrived at the airport, they were told nothing and said security was just as much in the dark.

“We’ve just been waiting here,” Navanteri said.

They had heard there was a bomb threat but were waiting around to see if there would be an update.

Clarke said it was “a little bit” frustrating but “it is just one of those things”.

NZ ‘dark pop’ singer and songwriter Michele Ducray was supposed to be on her way up to Auckland to promote the release of her new EP Throne of Mine when she was moved away from the airport by security.

“When I was walking up to the airport, security just started rushing everyone out and mass crowds started forming,” Ducray said.

She was told to go to the field by the ‘welcome to the airport’ sign and confirmed security were in the dark about the situation as well.

It wasn’t until everybody went online that they found out it was a bomb threat, she said.

Ducray said everybody felt confused and “inconvenienced”.

The singer’s radio interview with The Edge will now go ahead tonight via Zoom and she has had to reschedule her Auckland show at the 13th Floor.

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/300984088/police-respond-to-bomb-alert-at-queenstown-airport