On Wednesday afternoon, a suspicious car parked outside Birmingham Airport in the West Midlands in the UK caused the airport to shut down for hours.
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The bomb scare triggered security concerns. Both inbound and outbound flights were paused, delayed, and at least one was cancelled.
The hours-long wait was a frustration to many holidaymakers and passengers as plans had to be canceled, postponed, and delayed. Schedules and appointments would have also been impacted by the delays.
Bomb disposal experts rushed to the mysterious vehicle parked near the building. West Midlands Police told The Independent that customers were evacuated and a cordon was set up following reports of the vehicle.
"Following a search by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team the vehicle was deemed to be safe," a spokesperson said, "The vehicle is no longer being treated as suspicious."
Everything continued as it should have after the car was deemed safe. Although the delays and cancellations had already affected the thousands in the airport.
Bomb Scare Causes Delays And Cancellations For Birmingham Airport
As the bomb squads and police tried to deal with the potential bomb situation, people in the airport were told nothing.
Waiting for hours on end inexplicably is an incredibly frustration situation to find yourself in. Especially in an airport of all places.
"Absolute chaos @emirates at Birmingham airport. 400 people waiting and no form of communication or plan..... we've been here for six hours!" posts an upset victim of the delays.
"I am stuck on a plane, claustrophobic, pleading to get off. How long is this situation going to take?" another posted.
As sone airport attendees were evacuated, others had to remain. The lack of communication was the primary frustration for those at the airport. Telling everyone of a potential bomb threat may have made matters even worse, however.
"The safety of all was our primary concern and as a precautionary measure the airport was partially evacuated so the vehicle could be searched and assessed," the spokesperson continued.
Cases of delays are never enjoyable ones. However, such things are of no concern to authorities when there may be lives at stake.
