EuroAirport forced to shut down terminal due to 'security reasons'

EuroAirport has shut down one of its terminals (FILE PIC) (Image: GETTY-STOCK)

A European airport was forced to evacuate one of its terminals on Wednesday afternoon.

A terminal at the EuroAirport, an international airport part of the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel, was temporarily closed for "safety reasons".

A statement on the airport's official website read: "INFORMATION: For safety reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed.

"Further information will follow. We regret this inconvenience; it is for the safety of passengers and employees."

Just over an hour after posting the evacuation notice, the airport confirmed that the terminal had reopened.

"We regreat any inconvenience," a message on its website read, reiterating the prioritisation of "passenger and employee safety".

The airport, which sits on the border between France, Switzerland and Germany, was previously evacuated following a "bomb threat" ahead of the Paris Olympics in July 2024.

The airport sits on the border between Germany, France and Switzerland (Image: Getty)

Passengers and staff were ushered out of the facility on July 26 for "security reasons" after a "bomb threat" was discovered, EuroAirport told the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Flights were resumed shortly afterwards, with a flight to Paris delayed due to the evacuation.

The international airbase sits within French territory but is operated by both France and Switzerland, with a governing body also including officials from Germany.

It serves the three nearby cities of Basel, Mulhouse and Freiburg and hosts flights from airlines across Europe.

EuroAirport welcomed around 8.9 million passengers from around the world in 2024, marking a 10.2% year-on-year rise and making it the second-busiest year in the facility's history.

Industry figures also showed that airports across Europe welcomed more passengers last year than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total passenger traffic rose 1.8% above its 2019 equivalent in 2024, according to the Airports Council International (ACI), with growth primarily driven by international rather than domestic travel.