HUNDREDS of Scots travellers were stranded after a bomb scare closed Luton Airport and led to dozens of flight cancellations and diversions.
Budget carrier easyJet scrapped 41 flights to and from the airport yesterday, including seven to or from Scotland, amid fears over a suspicious package found in the security hall. The airport was evacuated shortly after 2pm and planes grounded.
A controlled explosion was carried out at 5.15pm and the airport re-opened. However, the airline cancelled the remainder of its evening flights because of the disruption.
Bedfordshire Police said the item was destroyed and "although deemed suspicious, did not present a wider danger". No-one had been arrested, said the police.
Hundreds of passengers were left to wait outside the terminal while the security alert was in place.
A spokeswoman for easyJet said the incident led to the cancellation of two flights from Edinburgh Airport to Luton, as well as one from Glasgow and one from Inverness. Three flights from Luton to Scotland were also scrapped, affecting passengers flying to Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
A further three flights from Luton to Scotland were diverted. Passengers flying to Glasgow and Edinburgh from Luton were transported to London Stansted to board an alternative flight, while passengers travelling from Luton to Inverness were relocated to Birmingham Airport for their departure.
The easyJet spokeswoman said the company expected operations to return to normal today.
She added: "Passengers who were affected by the cancellations can change their flight or obtain a refund at easyJet.com. We have also set up a customer service desk at our office, where we will help passengers make any arrangements.
"Whilst this was out of our control, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and would like to thank passengers for their patience and co-operation. The safety and security of its passengers and crew is the airline's highest priority."
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