On Sunday evening, parts of Terminal 3 at Vienna-Schwechat Airport had to be blocked due to a false alarm. A software error triggered an explosive alarm in the security check area. As a result, the area had to be closed in accordance with the principle of Safety First and police experts were on the scene.

Both the airport and the executive took the supposed “bomb alarm” very seriously, because at first it wasn't clear whether it was an emergency or not. Fortunately, it turns out that there was just a malfunction of a recording device. According to a spokesman for the airport, a harmless object in a piece of luggage was mistakenly identified as an explosive. The cause is said to have been a software defect. The police also confirmed this and, like Vienna Airport, emphasized that there was no threat at any point in time.

The executive advanced with experts and heavy equipment. Even armored vehicles were mobilized, because theoretically it could have been an emergency. After about three quarters of an hour, the explosives experts were able to give the police the all-clear. According to an airport spokesman, flight operations were never suspended.

However, the incident still had an impact on the passengers, because arriving passengers had to wait in the aircraft for safety reasons, because for safety reasons they were initially not allowed to enter the arrival area. For departing people, it was the case that they were temporarily unable to enter the security area because the “Siko” was blocked. Most airlines, however, have been waiting for their passengers, so that many courses were delayed. Sometimes this was not possible any other way, because the arriving passengers had to wait. According to Vienna Airport, take-offs and landings should have been possible at any time.

Due to the closure of the security check and the fact that arrivals had to wait in the aircraft, there were long queues. These only gradually diminished after the approval. Passengers and airline operators spoke to Aviation Direct of chaotic conditions, since Terminal 3 is supposed to be at its load limit anyway.