Industry News
At 8:40 a.m. on Friday, October 6, 2023, a bomb evacuation was triggered at Queenstown Airport in New Zealand. On closer inspection the offending item turned out to be a ski boot warmer.
Glen Sowry, CEO of Queenstown Airport, said a suspicious electrical device was spotted during screening of checked luggage. Police examined the image and contacted the New Zealand Defence Force, which also believed the object was suspicious. The Defence Force’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit was flown in by helicopter from Christchurch.
Apparently the boot warmer sat underneath a laptop computer and had wires hanging from it, resulting in the items being mistaken as a potential bomb.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit deemed the “reported items posed no threat”, and the airport finally reopened at 3:00 p.m.
Queenstown is the gateway to many of New Zealand’s south island’s greatest ski resorts, including The Remarkables and Coronet Peak.
