Officials at an airport in Moncton are reminding travellers not to take anything with them that might be mistaken for a weapon.
This follows two recent incidents of replica grenades causing travel delays and law enforcement investigations at the Greater Moncton Romép LeBlanc International Airport (YQM).
Bernard LeBlanc, CEO of the airport, said such items are prohibited from carry-on or checked luggage.
“Travellers must remember that even though they know that their items are harmless, airport security screening personnel do not,’’ LeBlanc said.
“What is a toy, ornament or collectible to one person is a possible dangerous object to the security screening staff. We realize how this may cause confusion because many of these fake items are easily available in retail stores and online.’’
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) says it is strictly prohibited for passengers to bring “toy, replica and imitation weapons that could be mistaken for real weapons’’.
LeBlanc said staff must always err on the side of safety and are required by emergency response protocol to call in law enforcement and highly trained experts to determine the safety of any such objects when they are found during security screening.
“The fact that the item could even be mistaken for the real thing is enough to cause major problems for everyone.’’
CATSA’s Breeze Through Security app can be downloaded to Android or Apple mobile devices.