Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Air France plane from Paris halted at Manchester Airport over 'suspicious item' on board

The alert comes two days after an easyJet plane bound for Morocco was evacuated at the airport

Dean Kirby,Samuel Osborne
Saturday 21 November 2015 17:47 GMT
Comments
It is believed The plane's captain raised the alarm so that emergency crews could be placed on standby
It is believed The plane's captain raised the alarm so that emergency crews could be placed on standby (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A plane from Paris was halted on the runway at Manchester Airport after a suspicious electronic device was found on board.

Police and fire crews surrounded the Air France Airbus A321 after it landed from Paris Charles de Gaulle at 1.30pm today.

It is believed that the plane's captain raised the alarm so that emergency crews could be placed on standby.

Passengers were disembarked when the plane touched down and the abandoned device was seized and safely security checked.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "Shortly before 1.30pm, police received a report of a potentially suspicious item on a flight from Paris due to land at Manchester Airport.

"The aircraft landed a short time later, where it was met by emergency services and airport staff and passengers safely disembarked from the flight.

"The electronic item in question has been seized by officers and has now been safely security checked. Officers are now working to establish the identity of its owner.

"In the meantime, the airport has resumed business as usual."

The alert comes two days after an easyJet plane bound for Morocco was evacuated at Manchester Airport following reports a man had claimed to be carrying a bomb.

Two men were arrested following that incident on Thursday. One has been released on police bail pending further inquiries and another has been released without charge.

A spokesperson for the airport said "Manchester Airport operations team responded to a request from police to meet an aircraft travelling from France this afternoon.

"The aircraft was scheduled to arrive just after 13:30, it landed safely and was met by emergency services.

"Passengers and crew safely disembarked whilst the police continued their operation. Anyone wanting further information should contact GMP.''

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in