Police respond to bomb alert at Queenstown Airport

Queenstown Airport is expected to remain closed for “several hours” after a bomb threat prompted an evacuation and emergency response. Police and Aviation Security were investigating reports of what “appears to be an explosive device” at 8.40am on Friday, a police spokesperson said. The Defence Force’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit were at the site and are currently assessing the device. The airport had been evacuated as the airport activated its emergency security protocols, with passengers taken by bus to a secure location. In an update at 11am, Queenstown Airport said it remained closed while authorities worked through a risk assessment process, which was “likely to take several hours”. Food and shelter was being arranged for passengers who required it. Queenstown Lakes District mayor Glyn Lewers said the Queenstown Event Centre had been opened up to accommodate the “approximately 200 passengers that were evacuated”. Lewers said about 11.30am they were waiting for the Defence Force to arrive from Christchurch. The airport had advised people to contact the airline they booked with for further information and to rebook if they had flights booked for Friday. Police advised people to avoid the airport until the incident was resolved and there were no flights in or out of Queenstown at present.<br/>