Birmingham Airport back open after evacuation

Birmingham Airport said it was "slowly returning to normal" after passengers were evacuated over a suspicious vehicle.

There was disruption to flights and people were told to leave the airport building while a police operation got under way at about 12:20 BST.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team searched the vehicle which was "deemed to be safe", West Midlands Police said.

An airport spokesperson apologised for "any inconvenience and disruption" but said "the safety and security of everyone at the airport was our number one priority as we worked through this incident with police partners."

The evacuation affected passengers who were checking in for the flights, with a police cordon set up around the airport and people advised not to travel to the airport.

The BBC understands passengers who had cleared security were permitted to depart as they were deemed safe.

Some posted their frustration on social media at being left on planes that had just arrived at the airport.

One user on X, @harmancheeta, said they were "stuck on a plane, claustrophobic, pleading to get off," and asked: "How long is this situation going to take?".

Another, @SpandleRandle, said his mum and dad were also on a plane at Birmingham Airport after returning from Spain and had "no idea what’s going on".

Ian Pugh posted a photo of crowds outside the building.

"It seemed very busy and the numbers of people just started growing," he said.

"At first I just thought it was people going to the train station and maybe the monorail had failed but the numbers just got larger."

Some passengers were asked to assemble at the nearby National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service both had crews on site while the investigation took place.

Birmingham Airport was also evacuated in September, when travellers were temporarily asked to leave a small area in the arrivals zone.