The Victoria International Airport has reopened after a bomb scare caused it to shut its doors and halted all commercial flights Tuesday afternoon.
The incident began shortly after 1:30 p.m. when a passenger arrived at the airport to check-in their baggage.
According to Cpl. Andres Sanchez of Sidney RCMP, the passenger brought a suspicious package into the airport.
Sanchez said the passenger’s bag contained an item resembling an “incendiary device”.
When Canadian Air Transport Security Authority officials scanned the bag, they realized there were items inside that could be of a dangerous nature.
The airport was closed until a bomb squad from Vancouver could confirm the contents of the item.
Just before 8 p.m. Tuesday night, Victoria International Airport announced that the security incident had been resolved and the airport has since reopened.
“There are a few late evening arrivals so please check the status of the flight. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation today,” the airport said in a tweet.
Update: The security incident has been resolved. The airport has reopened. There are a few late evening arrivals so please check the status of the flight. We appreciate everyone's cooperation today. #yyj #yyjops
— Victoria Int Airport (@Fly_YYJ) May 25, 2022
Shortly after the tweet was made, the airport released an official statement and confirmed “an incendiary item and inert surplus military supplies contained in checked baggage.”
“As always, the security and safety of our staff and visitors is our priority, said Geoff Dickson, Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) President and CEO.
“RCMP determined that there was potential risk to airport staff and passengers and directed that parts of the air terminal building close.”
During the RCMP press conference, Sanchez said the individual carrying the luggage is being investigated but police have yet to determine any possible charges.
The closure of the airport resulted in the cancellation of about 20 scheduled flights between 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., according to the media release from the airport. At the time of this publication, the airport shows there will be no outgoing flights this evening.
At least one flight scheduled to land in Victoria had to be redirected shortly after the incident. Flight-tracking website Flight Aware showed Air Canada Jazz flight 8489 from Calgary was diverted to Vancouver.
