Frankfurt airport terminal reopens after security scare

FRANKFURT

Police secures a Frankfurt airport terminal after Terminal 1 departure hall was evacuated in Frankfurt, Germany, August 31, 2016. REUTERS photo

German authorities said Aug. 31 that the Frankfurt airport is fully reopened after a portion of Terminal 1 was evacuated when a person entered a secure area without undergoing required searches.

Airport operator Fraport said in a Twitter message Aug. 31 that the airport was returning to normal operations after a disruption that lasted about two hours, the Associated Press reported. All passengers were evacuated as a precaution and had to go through security controls again.

The passenger entered into the departure gate area at Frankfurt, a major hub for international travel and home to Lufthansa, without completing the security check, possibly by mistake, police said.

Police did not find any suspicious items in the departure area following the evacuation, a spokeswoman for the federal force told Reuters. She could not provide any further details on the suspect.

Germany’s dpa news agency reported police finding no threats to security during their search of the terminal and have taken a woman into custody.

Fraport said there were some delays caused by the incident and advised passengers to check with their airlines on the status of their flights.

In a similar incident, a Spanish man was arrested at Cologne-Bonn airport in May after bypassing the security check, also leading to flight delays.