Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Evacuated After Security Alert
Suspicious luggage triggers precautionary evacuation; army bomb disposal clears item safe.
Dublin, September 20 EST: For two jittery hours on Saturday, Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport was emptied out after security pulled a suspicious bag from the system. Passengers were herded onto buses or left standing on the curb while the Army’s bomb squad went in to check it.
By early afternoon, the verdict was in the bag was fine, the threat nonexistent, and life inside the terminal started up again. But the damage was already done. Flights were running late, nerves were frayed, and the airport was dealing with a second crisis at the same time a Europe-wide tech outage that had staff scribbling names on paper instead of scanning boarding passes.
“Just Another Bag” But Not To Travelers
The scare kicked off when a single piece of luggage raised alarms during screening. Security did what they’re trained to do clear the building, call in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, and lock things down until the experts arrived.
Travelers described confusion more than panic. A family heading to Spain said they were rushed out so quickly they left their sandwiches behind. A man waiting for a flight to Boston muttered to reporters outside that he’d already missed his connection. Others pulled out phones to record the scene buses lined up in drizzle, airport staff in high-vis jackets trying to keep order.
The bomb unit eventually gave the all-clear. The bag, whatever it was, posed no risk.
The Timing Couldn’t Have Been Worse
Even before the evacuation, the airport was in knots. A software failure rippling across Europe had already broken check-in and boarding systems. Staff were scribbling passenger lists on paper, boarding flights with old-fashioned headcounts.
So when Terminal 2 was shut down, the two crises collided. Delays stretched, tempers rose, and staff looked overwhelmed. One traveler posted online “Queue for security, queue for the bus, queue to get back inside. Dublin Airport bingo card complete.”
Not The First Time, And Likely Not The Last
Dublin Airport doesn’t see evacuations every week, but regulars know they happen. A bag left under a seat, an odd shape on a scanner most turn out to be false alarms. The authorities would rather be accused of overreacting than miss something real.
That’s what happened here. A big interruption for a small problem.
No, Not In The U.S.
As word spread, some American readers briefly panicked, thinking the “Dublin Airport” in question was in Ohio or Georgia, both of which have much smaller airports with the same name. U.S. officials quickly confirmed nothing was happening there. This was strictly an Ireland story.
Back On Track With Lingering Delays
By late afternoon, Terminal 2 was humming again. Departures boards still showed gaps and delays, but the lines were moving. Staff advised passengers to arrive earlier than usual, just in case.
For most travelers, it will go down as a wasted morning and a cautionary tale about how fragile air travel remains. One suspicious bag, one broken server, and suddenly thousands of trips are hanging by a thread.
New Jersey Times Is Your Source: The Latest In Politics, Entertainment, Business, Breaking News, And Other News. Please Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, And Twitter To Receive Instantaneous Updates. Also Do Checkout Our Telegram Channel @Njtdotcom For Latest Updates.
Trained in war zones, raised in Newark, and seasoned in city hall, Jordan blends grit reporting with deep integrity. From floods to finance bills, they’re always first on scene and last to leave.
