Cork flight searched after bullet discovered

An Aer Arran flight from Cork to Edinburgh was the subject of a major security alert yesterday when a bullet was found mid-flight on the cabin floor.

Armed police surrounded the aircraft as it touched down at the Scottish airport at 1.30 p.m. after the captain radioed ahead to notify the authorities of the discovery.

The single 9 mm round was found on the floor by a passenger who, surprised at the discovery, notified cabin crew, who informed the pilot.

After landing, the aircraft was searched, and the 38 passengers and three crew were questioned. The aircraft had been surrounded by armed officers and a number of tactical support units when it touched down.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police yesterday afternoon declined to go into the details of the operation, other than saying "officers acting on information received are speaking to passengers as they are disembarking".

Yesterday evening the police confirmed the incident had been "stood down" and that the aircraft had been allowed to return to Cork after establishing nothing suspicious about the passengers, or crew. The bullet was taken for forensic examination.

The police would not say whether it was live or had been discharged.

A spokeswoman for Aer Arran said the searches by police of the passengers, their baggage and the aircraft had been completed by 5.30 p.m.