Passengers in the international departures area at Christchurch Airport were forced to undergo security screening again after a security breach involving access to a restricted area.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson told ChrisLynchMedia.com: “A security breach did occur at Christchurch Airport’s International terminal yesterday afternoon, involving passengers accessing a restricted area without being security screened.

“The incident was managed promptly, with Aviation Security and Christchurch Airport staff responding in line with standard security protocols.

“As a precaution, affected passengers were cleared and rescreened, which caused slight delays with operations returning to normal shortly after.”

Three passengers spoken to by Chris Lynch Media said while the incident was frustrating, they were impressed with how airport staff handled the situation.