Dunedin Airport reopens after bomb hoax

Dunedin airport was reopened just after 2pm today after two army bomb experts established that a suspicious article found in a toilet this morning was harmless.

Police said the article turned out to be a hoax and a sweep of the terminal found nothing suspicious except wires in a rubbish bin in the main terminal.

An airport spokesperson said that normal flights to and from the airport have now resumed.

The airport was evacuated at 9.20am after the discovery of what appeared to be an "improvised explosive device" in a rubbish bin in the men's toilets.

The scare caused around 300 people, including passengers and employees, to be evacuated from the airport and police diverted vehicles headed to the airport.

Legendary British blues musician John Mayall was one of the passengers delayed by the scare and the Nelson Mail reported that he missed his scheduled flight to Nelson for a performance tonight.

The report said show organisers were doing all they could so he and his band could make tonight's show.

- NZPA