Brisbane Airport security under scrutiny after breach

Brisbane Airport security under scrutiny after breach
By admin


Flights in and out of Brisbane Airport have returned to normal following a security breach overnight that saw services suspended as a woman drove her car onto a runway.

At 10.36pm, the airport tweeted that flights had been suspended. 

“The AFP is currently responding to a security matter airside. Until resolved all flights will be held. Further flight updates to come,” it said in another tweet.

Operations on the airfield were suspended for just under two hours, with mainly domestic but some international flights affected.

The airport confirmed that at least seven flights had been diverted to other ports, mainly Gold Coast, and that 17 flights experiences "significant" delays.

Passengers were advised to check with their airlines for any schedule changes.

All services are running as usual this morning.

It has been widely reported that the disruption was caused by a 37-year old woman driving a car through a fence and onto the runway, meaning that aircraft were unable to land.

The matter has raised concern over security at the airport with world leaders set to arrive at the facility for the G20 in November which is to take place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Brisbane Airport Corporation assured passengers that the airport is a “safe and secure” facility with procedures in line with Federal Government standards.

“However, with Brisbane hosting the G20 in November, BAC is progressively increasing its security to even higher levels,” BAC general manager operations Stephen Goodwin said.

He highlighted a major upgrade of the airfield perimeter, with $2 million already spent on upgrades to the fence line.

“Airport security requires a multi-layered approach and the rapid response to last night’s incident is evidence that our security response and procedures work.  It was contained quickly by police and emergency personnel and additional precautions were taken to ensure there were no other threats to the public,” Goodwin said.

“We will continue to assist authorities with all investigations in regards to last night’s incident and the results of these investigations will determine if we need to make any changes to our preparations for hosting the G20.”

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