Those at Gatwick Airport took to social media on Saturday morning to say a fire alarm had sounded
A major UK airport was evacuated this morning, sparking a rumour a someone having a vape was behind the disruption.
Those at Gatwick Airport took to social media on Saturday morning to say a fire alarm had sounded.
Passengers in the north terminal were asked to leave the building, the Mirror reports.
READ MORE: Ryanair passengers face £100 check-in fee if they miss important deadline
There were claims that the drama unfolded when a passenger ‘opened an emergency door exit to vape’, however an airport spokesperson has denied this.
Travellers also took to social media to complain they had been “crammed like sardines” for around half an hour with little information provided about what was going on.
The evacuation, which began at 7am, was thought to have ended at around 8.30am, with all passengers now back in the terminal.
Flights were expected to continue as normal for the rest of the day.
READ MORE: Foreign Office gives ‘be alert’ holiday warning to UK tourists in Spain
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “The North Terminal was evacuated this morning following a fire alarm activation.
“The terminal is now back open and evacuated passengers have been processed back through security as quickly as possible.”
Back in November, hundreds of passengers were evacuated the airport put under lockdown due to a ‘suspicious package’.
Armed police and the bomb squad were called out to attend the incident.
At the time, staff abruptly told passengers: “We’re evacuating, you’ve got to leave,” as firearms officers guarded the security area.
An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was deployed to the airport, and a security cordon remained in place while the matter was being dealt with.