Operations at Belgium’s second largest airport were suspended today due to a bomb alert on a Ryanair plane.
Shortly before 11am local time (9am GMT) ‘a bomb threat was triggered’ on board an aircraft that landed at Charleroi Airport, said a spokeswoman for its operator.
A security perimeter was set up around the aircraft, meaning the runway had to be closed and operations suspended.
Air traffic eventually resumed at 1.45pm (12.45 GMT), the spokeswoman added.
Charleroi, south of Brussels, is a major European hub for low-cost airline Ryanair, which said the threat concerned one of its planes.
A spokesperson for Ryanair told MailOnline: ‘Ryanair was informed of a security threat on flight FR6313 from Faro to Brussels Charleroi today, 13th May.
‘The aircraft landed normally at Charleroi as planned.
‘Passengers have been disembarked and the aircraft is being prepared for return to service. We sincerely apologise to any passengers affected.’
Operations at Belgium’s second largest airport have been suspended due to a bomb alert on a Ryanair plane today. Pictured: The Ryanair airplane on the ground following the alert
Shortly before 11.00am local time (9.00am GMT) ‘a bomb threat was triggered’ on board an aircraft that landed at Charleroi Airport, said a spokeswoman for its operator
A spokesperson for Ryanair told MailOnline: ‘Ryanair was informed of a security threat on flight FR6313 from Faro to Brussels Charleroi today, 13th May. The aircraft landed normally at Charleroi as planned. ‘Passengers have been disembarked and the aircraft is being prepared for return to service. We sincerely apologise to any passengers affected’
The terminal was not evacuated, as it does not fall within the 500m perimeter.
Nathalie Pierard, spokesperson for the airport, told The Brussels Times this morning: ‘The plane has been moved to a separate area of the airport.
‘The runway and the main road behind it are closed, and a security perimeter of 500 metres has been set up.
‘The police are on the scene and the 166 passengers will be evacuated from the plane once approved by the police.
‘It is currently unclear how long the disruption will last.’
Lunchtime is an off-peak moment for flights, so not too many passengers should have been affected, according to Ms Pierard.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.