St. John’s International Airport reopened to the public at 11:30 a.m. after an early morning bomb threat suspended all flight activity Jan. 12.
The airport authority said employees are back at work after security checks and video surveillance confirmed the threat to be “non-credible.”
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) Const. James Cadigan said officers performed a thorough sweep of the area and determined there was “no risk to public safety.”
The airport was shut down after the threat was called in around 7:30 a.m., Const. Cadigan told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.
He said RNC officers diverted travellers away from the terminal so a “systematic sweep” of the area could be performed by the canine team. The airport was deemed safe shortly after 10 a.m.
Despite the potential for chaos that can come with a bomb threat, Const. Cadigan said the terminal evacuation and subsequent road closure went well.
“I certainly want to recognize the cooperation we were met with from the community once we launched this investigation,” he said. “You know, it’s often difficult when people are going to the airport or looking to get on a flight. It can be frustrating, but we were met with such cooperation.”
Only one flight—A PAL flight from St. John’s to Deer Lake scheduled to depart at 8:40 a.m.— appears to have been affected by the evacuation.
Const. Cadigan said the source of the bomb threat remains under investigation.
This is the second time the airport has been forced to shut down for a police investigation in a little over a month. The airport was closed briefly in the early morning hours of Dec. 7 so police could investigate a suspicious package.
The RNC’s X account noted that patrol officers initially took control of the situation, and then used a specialized unit to make the area safe. The incident turned out to be a false alarm.
