Holidaymakers are facing chaos at Heathrow Airport after emergency services evacuated Terminal 2.
Images shared on social media showed crowds of people amassed inside the airport, following reports to the Metropolitan Police of a “suspicious item that needed to be checked out”.
The force said it has now completed its checks and the incident has been stood down -but there are knock-on effects for passengers who have been told to check with their airlines whether there have been any delays to flights.
Images circulating on social media on Friday morning showed what appears to be crowds of holidaymakers stood along the airport's entrance as multiple police vans scoured the area.
Officers were also reportedly seen roaming the premises with sniffer dogs.
Heathrow Terminal 2 being evacuated but no clue why? pic.twitter.com/FF5eXaReAb
— Andy “Migerdy” Mac (@Adimac74) July 5, 2024
The travel chaos was set to disrupt England supporters who are making their way to Germany in time for the Three Lions' Euros quarter final match on Saturday.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “This morning our teams worked with emergency services to respond to an incident in Terminal 2 which has now been resolved.
“We ask passengers to check with their airline if flying from Terminal 2, the rest of the airport is operating normally.”
#heathrowlockdown2024 T2 being evacuated…everyone sitting around waiting with no info? #heathrow pic.twitter.com/fzlDMsU6SG
— ☠️𝗦𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗭 🛫 #SoTFest2024 (@Gato_Pub) July 5, 2024
As the incident unfolded multiple travellers took to X saying holidaymakers had been left in the dark as to why they were being evacuated, with no announcements made by the airport. One user wrote: "T2 being evacuated…everyone sitting around waiting with no info?"Some passengers claiming they had been waiting in queues for over forty minutes and tempers were fraying as passengers worried about missing their flights.
Michael Barraclough wrote: “Big up everyone squeezing through to the front of the throng outside Heathrow terminal 2, you're definitely going to get through, the rest of us stood here waiting for 40+ minutes are clearly just doing it for lolz”.
Another traveller wrote: “Anyone know what's happening at Terminal 2 at #Heathrow? Some sort of evacuation happening but no instructions from staff?
“Everyone being asked to leave establishments. Congregation on the lower floor #T2Heathrow”.
One traveller at the airport said that he was at the airport for his journey to Leipzig, Germany, but feared he will miss his connecting flight to Frankfurt as a result of a 20-minute delay. He described some of the terminals as "pandemonium" with people "running all over the place."
