Lost Passenger Sparks Security Scare Geneva Airport

A lost passenger sparked a security alert at Geneva airport on Thursday that forced staff to halt boarding and caused disruption to several flights, a spokesman said.

"It's down to someone mixing up doors," Bertrand Staempfli told Agence France Presse.

"A passenger who got lost in the airport went through a staff-only door, which set off an alarm," he said.

The passenger, whose nationality and flight destination Staempfli declined to reveal, was questioned by airport police.

During the questioning, airport authorities opted to halt boarding.

"We applied the principle of precaution," Staempfli said.

The break in boarding, which began around 1700 local time (1500 GMT) and lasted between 30 and 45 minutes, had a knock-on effect on other departures, he added.

"It lasted for as long as was needed to establish that the person's intentions were entirely innocent," he said.