Hundreds of Dutch stranded abroad after Eindhoven terminal closure

The hours-long closure of the Eindhoven Airport terminal due to a possible firearm discovery left people, including hundreds of Netherlands residents, stranded abroad. Because flights to destinations were canceled, scheduled return flights to the Netherlands couldn't occur. Rebooking these passengers could take a few days.

Transavia said it had to cancel two flights to Ibiza and the Polish Krakow. A spokeswoman called it force majeure. "Unfortunately, our passengers have been the victims of this." According to Transavia, 129 people are stranded in Krakow. The airline could not say how many people were stuck in Ibiza.

An object "which resembled a firearm" was found in a passenger's hand luggage at the airport, the Koninklijke Marechaussee announced earlier on Thursday. They closed the terminal for investigation, resulting in at least ten canceled flights. Eindhoven Airport reported that the terminal was open again just before 6:00 p.m.

The airport asked passengers whose flights got canceled to go home and rebook online. Photos from the airport showed that it was crowded, with many passengers waiting outside.

A spokesperson for the Marechaussee said that the situation was not threatening, and it turned out to be a false alarm - they found no firearm. The spokesperson could comment no further because the investigation was still ongoing. The Koninklijke Marechaussee is a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military and is responsible for airport security, among other things.