On 26 May 2026, at East Midlands Airport, a brief evacuation took place in Castle Donington, Leicestershire. An emergency was declared following a security alert, and passengers were shifted to a safe distance from the building.
In the morning, at around 9:30 AM, the automated luggage security screening equipment flagged an anomaly ‘Concern’ in the checked-in luggage. The airport authority and security team, in accordance with standard safety protocols, clear the airport.
Passengers inside the terminals were moved outside toward the apron area/runway side. Meanwhile, the planes coming in for landing were forced to circle overhead. The security team and the airport authority investigated and determined that the flagged piece posed no threat. The investigation ended around 11:00 AM, and passengers were allowed back in the terminal.
Official Statement from Airport
An East Midlands Airport spokesperson“As a precautionary measure, we evacuated our terminal this morning after our security screening equipment highlighted a concern with a checked-in item of luggage. Investigations have now concluded that there is no risk and we are resuming normal operations, with passengers re-entering the terminal.”
Emergency Response Program (ERP)
Evacuating all the passengers from the airport terminal building is a significantly complex task. Various factors, such as identifying the reason for evacuation, the level of evacuation required, whether the incident affects landside, airside, or airport boundaries, who will manage the evacuation at strategic, tactical, and operational levels, and how evacuation protocols are communicated.
ICAO Annex 14 – Aerodrome provides standards and recommended practices (SARPs) for the emergency response program at the airport.
“Aerodrome emergency planning is the process of preparing an aerodrome to cope with an emergency occurring at the aerodrome or in its vicinity. The objective of aerodrome emergency planning is to minimise the effects of an emergency, particularly in respect of saving lives and maintaining aircraft operations.”
Section 9.1 of Annex 14 to the Chicago Convention (Aerodromes)
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