Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal was thrown into chaos on Monday after a technical fault with a single metal detector forced the evacuation and re-screening of all passengers and staff. The incident led to significant delays as large crowds gathered outside the terminal, with social media users reporting that the entire airport had 'ground to a halt'.
The airport confirmed the fault was quickly identified and stated there was no safety or security threat, but acknowledged that the re-screening process would take time and delay flights. A spokesman said: 'Due to a technical fault with a single metal detector, all people within the terminal are being rescreened. The fault was quickly identified and there is no safety or security threat.'
Passenger Craig MacLean, who was on a flight to Cairns, described the scene: 'There were thousands and thousands all funnelling outside. Now they're all outside and waiting on the process of everyone having to come back through.' He noted that while everyone remained calm, there was mass confusion as people were directed to screening areas only to be turned away.
Another traveller, Zachariah Kelly, was on the first flight to Sydney and reported a delay of around two and a half hours. He said passengers had already boarded when the captain instructed them to disembark, adding: 'There wasn't much panic but there was a lot of confusion.'
The airport apologised for the inconvenience and thanked passengers for their patience. Importantly, the international terminal was unaffected by the issue. This incident came just days after Brisbane Airport announced it had become the first airport globally to complete a new security assessment programme from the International Air Transport Association.
