People were grounded and flights were delayed after a security incident at the Regina airport Monday.
The airport tweeted that it was taking precautions due to a security incident around 11 a.m.
Regina International Airport CEO Dick Graham explained that, around 10 a.m., a passenger going through security screening was discovered to have had a “suspicious” item in his or her carry-on luggage.
The item, although not a banned item, posed a “real concern” to safety. Graham confirmed the bomb squad was called and a “device” was dealt with on the tarmac side of the airport.
“There was enough reason to believe that, number one, we should move people away from the secure area,” Graham said. “Number two, a few minutes later we moved everyone well out of the secure area and into the far end of our hold room in the pre-flight board area.”
Graham said it took about 15-20 minutes to evacuate the second floor of the airport.
The emergency procedure meant that flights were stopped, including flights to Calgary and Toronto that were scheduled for about an hour later.
Passengers were moved to the arrivals area, as the rest of the airport was off limits.
The Regina Police Service Explosive Disposal Unit attended the scene and determined the device be transported safely from the airport. Police say it was at that point that it was determined the device was not an explosive. Regina police said the 49-year-old woman will not face any criminal charges.
Peggy Boon was upstairs having coffee while waiting for her flight home to Vancouver when everyone was corralled to the bottom of the elevator, then even further away.
“There’s just a whole lot of people here and everybody’s just kind of waiting patiently and hoping this gets resolved as soon as possible so we can be on our merry way,” she said.
“People are just kind of quiet. There’s just a lot of people standing around on phones, at the kiosks.”