Police were alerted to reports of a suspicious man ‘seen running on the runways’ at a major airport in Australia, with a manhunt now underway to find him
A major airport was locked down after a dark figure was spotted on the runway before vanishing into a drain.
Police were alerted to the situation at Parafield Airport in Adelaide, in South Australia, at about 3:25pm local time on Sunday following reports that a man dressed in dark clothes was seen close to one of the runways. A manhunt is now underway with members of the Special Tasks and Rescue Group (STAR) being called in to assist in the search. Firefighters and a dog unit were also called to help with the search. The person on the runway has not yet been located.
It is understood no aircraft were in any danger. STAR forces entered the drain at about 5:30pm in a bid to find the man. They were later seen coming out of the drain but they didn’t find anyone.
The airport was shut down after the man was seen on the runway. Flights resumed about two hours later with a plane having arrived from Whyalla at about 4:45pm local time.
A South Australia Police spokesperson said: “Police are searching for a person who was seen running on the runways at Parafield Airport.
“About 3.25pm today (Sunday 6 July), police were called to the airport on Kings Road after reports that a man dressed in dark clothing was seen near the runways. No flights were affected or aircraft put in danger.
“The man ran into a stormwater drain. STAR group officers were called in to search the area but the man has not yet been located.”
South Australia Police is urging anyone who might have witnessed the incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The Mirror has contacted South Australia Police for comment.
This comes as Jet2 is expected to deliver stronger profits for the past year amid a jump in holidaymakers booking last-minute trips. However, investors will be keen for more guidance from the company about how delays to plane deliveries and travel disruption will impact its performance in the new financial year.
The Leeds-based holiday operator and airline will report its finances for the year to March 31 on Wednesday July 9. It is expected to reveal that profits have risen by as much as 10% to between £565 million and £570 million, having originally indicated profits of around £540 million late last year.
Analysts have also predicted a sharp jump in sales, with Panmure Liberum predicting sales of £7.21 billion for the year to March, up from £6.25 billion a year earlier.
Earlier this year, the company had seen shares waver after warning shareholders in February that it was facing higher hotel and flight costs and the delayed delivery of planes over the summer season.
Nevertheless, Jet2 pointed towards a positive outlook in its previous update in April, helping drive a rise in the firm’s share price, which ultimately struck record levels last month.
It has managed to grow profits despite above-inflation cost rises affecting key expenses including hotel accommodation, aircraft maintenance and general airport charges.
Jet2 also previously cautioned over the delayed delivery of new planes which will see it incur additional costs to cover aircraft gaps over the peak summer period. Shareholders will therefore be keen to see if this has impacted key summer trading.