All passengers in the Brisbane domestic airport will be re-screened by security after a fault with a metal detector, causing flight delays, the airport has said.
Pictures on social media showed large crowds at the airport, with one person saying the “entire place has ground to a halt”.
In a statement on Monday, the airport said all people within the terminal were being re-screened “due to a technical fault with a single metal detector”.
“The fault was quickly identified and there is no safety or security threat,” the statement said.
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“However, it will take some time to rescreen all passengers and staff, delaying flights.”
One passenger, Craig MacLean, said everyone had boarded his 3.40pm flight to Cairns when they were told there had been a security breach and the entire domestic airport was being evacuated.
“There were thousands and thousands all funnelling outside,” he said. “Now [they’re] all outside and waiting on the process of everyone having to come back through.”
Everyone stayed calm, but there was mass confusion as people were told to come forward for screening but then turned away by security, he said.
“It’s a nightmare trying to navigate to the screening area because there are just so many people here.”
The airport said it apologised for the inconvenience and thanked passengers for their patience and understanding.
Brisbane’s international terminal is not affected by the issue, the statement said.
More than 1.4 million domestic passengers flew in or out of the terminal in June, according to the airport’s website.
The airport has direct connections to 62 domestic destinations.
