A bomb threat on board a Ryanair plane has suspended all flights and closed a runway at Brussels Airport.
The alert was sounded on a Ryanair flight that arrived at Brussels South Charleroi Airport from Porto shortly before 11am today.
A spokesperson for Ryanair told Metro the bomb threat was a hoax.
They added that all passengers have been disembarked from the flight.
A Ryanair airplane pictured during a bomb threat in an airplane at the Brussels South Charleroi Airport (Picture: Shutterstock)
No flights are departing or arriving the international airport but the terminal has not been evacuated.
A Ryanair spokesperson told Metro: ‘Ryanair was informed of a security threat on flight FR6313 from Faro to Brussels Charleroi today,13th May.
‘The aircraft landed normally at Charleroi as planned. Passengers have been disembarked and the aircraft is being prepared for return to service. We sincerely apologise to any passengers affected.’
The runway has been temporarily closed at the airport (Picture: Flightradar)
Nathalie Pierard,spokesperson for the airport,told The Brussels Times: ‘The plane has been moved to a separate area of the airport. The runway and the main road behind it are closed,and a security perimeter of 500 metres has been set up.
‘The police are on the scene and the 166 passengers will be evacuated from the plane once approved by the police.
‘It is currently unclear how long the disruption will last.
The Ryanair airplane,coming from Porto,pictured at the runway after a bomb threat (picture: Shutterstock)
‘Lunchtime is an off-peak moment for flights,so not too many passengers should be affected’.
A number of planes were diverted to Brussels Airport Zaventem and Lille during the disruption.
Flights can resume Tuesday afternoon,according to The Brussels Times.
Some journeys will still face delays of up to three hours.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport handles over 9,000,000 passengers a year.
Their network of flights encompasses almost 200 destinations.
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