Newsroom
Passengers at Larnaca International Airport had to go through screening a second time on Wednesday due to strict protocols after an off duty police officer traveling with family used his clearance to skip security checks.
According to local media, a male police officer who works at LCA used his pass to enter and then exit the departure terminal without going through mandatory screening, with airport staff getting wind of the incident and calling all passengers to go through security checks again.
The officer, who was at the time just a passenger traveling with his family to Greece on Wednesday afternoon, appeared to have used his official pass to skip security checks while members of his family had gone through proper procedures.
Civil Aviation authorities are investigating the incident while Knews has learned the security breach with the police officer was not being treated as accidental or unintentional
Airport officials told Knews the incident was considered to be “contamination” and all passengers were instructed to exit the departure terminal with their belongings and go through security screening again.
Reports said some 300 passengers and two flights were affected by the security breach incident, with airport officials saying strict international protocols had to be followed to the letter.
A similar incident took place in the past during a photo shoot with a photographer and female models, when one person walked away with her pass.
The photo shoot incident was said to have been a misunderstanding but airport officials said even an accidental security breach must be handled according to protocols.
Airport officials said all law enforcement and administrative staff are trained on security clearance, adding no employee is allowed to skip screening if they are traveling or accessing restricted areas.
Civil Aviation authorities are investigating this week’s incident while Knews has learned the security breach with the police officer was not being treated as accidental or unintentional.
