After a thorough analysis, Springfield Fire Department’s bomb squad determined a suspicious package flagged by TSA’s screening process at the Springfield Branson National Airport this morning, was not an explosive device.
“The way everything was laying, it made it look suspicious, so all agencies involved did not want to take any chances until we could confirm it was not a risk,” said Fire Chief David Hall.
At approximately 9:30 a.m. Nov. 21, TSA screening equipment detected a suspicious item in a piece of luggage at Springfield Branson National Airport. The checkpoint was shut down and the airport initiated its emergency protocol.
Law enforcement authorities and the Springfield Fire Department Bomb Squad responded. Staff moved the public a safe radius away from the impacted area and stopped all inbound and outgoing traffic into the terminal. The terminal was never evacuated.
Members of the Springfield Fire Department Bomb Squad used a robot to move the package to a bomb containment truck to take offsite for further investigation.
At approximately noon, the Springfield Fire Department gave the clearance to reopen the airport checkpoint.
“We regret any inconvenience our passengers and visitors may have experienced during the precautionary delay. The safety of our patrons is our number one concern,” said Airport Director Brian Weiler.