King Shaka International Airport was evacuated on Sunday night while an unattended bag was examined by the SAPS bomb tech team.
Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs at the airport Colin Naidoo told The Mercury that at around 7pm, the bag at the check-in section at the departure area at the airport had been reported to airport security.
“The SAPS dog unit was immediately on the scene. As our main concern is the safety and security of passengers and airport staff and per normal procedure the area was evacuated for security and safety reasons and cordoned off.”
He said that once the tech team declared the area safe, the airport resumed normal operations around 8pm.
“It must be noted that there were no major operational delays during this incident.”
Naidoo said. “We would like to assure the public that the airport is fully operational. We would like to encourage the public to please keep their baggage and personal belongings with them at all times when they are at the airport.
It is very encouraging that this incident was reported and actions were taken almost immediately. So we are asking the public to report any suspicious activity to the security and police at the airport”
He also thanked airport users for their co-operation and patience during “that unfortunate and temporary incident” and the airport agencies involved in ensuring the safety and security of the airport staff and the public.
“As with all incidents of this nature the matter is managed by the SAPS who will investigate the incident further and issue their report.”