A number of flights were either delayed or had to be diverted as the Emerald Airlines ATR aircraft operating the flight on behalf of Aer Lingus, returned to Birmingham and its passengers and crew off-loaded and investigations took place.
West Midlands Police confirmed they were called to the airport at around 16:00 following the discovery of the suspicious package. In a statement, they said, "All passengers and crew were evacuated and specialist officers including the dog unit searched the plane."
A spokesperson for the airport confirmed some flights were diverted during the two hours the airport was closed. Train services were also affected at the nearby Birmingham International Railway station. Network Rail confirmed that at 18:20 all rail lines had reopened but disruption was likely to continue for some time.
The undeclared item was later advised to be not a security risk.
