A laser hair removal device brought Victoria’s Avalon Airport to a partial standstill on Thursday morning after security screening staff flagged the item as suspicious, prompting a bomb squad response, a evacuation of sections of the terminal, and a cascade of flight delays that stranded passengers for several hours.
Victoria Police said in a statement that officers were called to Avalon Airport, located south-west of Melbourne near Lara, shortly after 6am on Thursday following the discovery of a suspicious item during routine security screening. The bomb response unit — formally the Specialist Response Group’s explosives and dangerous goods capability — was deployed to assess the device.
What happened at the airport? #
Victoria Police said the item was discovered as passengers and their luggage were being processed through security ahead of the morning’s first scheduled departures. When screeners identified an object they could not immediately account for, standard aviation security protocols were activated, Victoria Police said.
Those protocols require the area to be cleared while specialist officers assess any potential threat. Sections of the terminal were evacuated and a number of flights were delayed as a result, Victoria Police said. The airport, which is operated by Linfox and handles both domestic Jetstar services and a growing number of international charter and freight movements, did not immediately resume normal operations while the assessment was under way.
Victoria Police confirmed the device was subsequently identified as a laser hair removal unit — a consumer-grade cosmetic appliance that, in certain configurations, can include power cells, dense wiring, and internal components that may appear ambiguous under X-ray imaging. No explosive material of any kind was located, police said, and no arrests were made.
Why would a beauty device trigger a bomb response? #
For readers unfamiliar with how aviation security works, the response may seem disproportionate — but security and law enforcement sources have previously explained to VCN that screeners are trained to flag anything they cannot positively identify rather than make assumptions about what an item is.
Laser hair removal devices — particularly handheld at-home units — can contain lithium-ion battery packs, dense circuitry, and, in some models, small cooling mechanisms. Under airport X-ray, dense batteries surrounded by wiring can produce an image pattern that warrants additional scrutiny. Aviation security directions under the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 (Cth) require screeners to treat an unresolved item as a potential threat until it has been cleared by a specialist.
The bomb response unit’s attendance in such circumstances is not, of itself, an indicator that authorities believed a genuine explosive device was present — it is the standard procedure when a suspicious item cannot be resolved at the screening point. VCN understands this type of precautionary call-out happens more frequently than most passengers realise, with the overwhelming majority of incidents resolved quickly and found to be innocuous items.
Flight delays and passenger disruption #
The timing of the incident — shortly after 6am — fell squarely in Avalon’s busiest departure window. Jetstar, the primary carrier operating regular passenger services from the airport, had a number of early morning services scheduled. Victoria Police said flights were delayed as a result of the security check, though the force did not specify how many services were affected or provide an estimated total delay time in its statement.
Passengers who spoke to VCN at the airport described scenes of confusion in the terminal, with travellers asked to move away from certain areas while staff managed the response. One traveller, who asked not to be named, said the situation appeared orderly but that information about what was happening and how long delays would last was slow to filter through to those waiting.
VCN has sought comment from Jetstar and the Avalon Airport operator regarding the total number of flights affected and the average delay experienced by passengers. A response had not been received at time of publication.
Avalon’s growing role in Victorian aviation #
Avalon Airport has operated as a commercial passenger terminal since 2001 and in recent years has positioned itself as a genuine alternative to Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) for budget travellers and those living in Geelong, the Surf Coast, and south-west Victoria. Linfox, which controls the airport through Avalon Airport Australia, has invested in terminal upgrades and new apron infrastructure in anticipation of increased traffic.
The airport also hosts the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition — one of the largest aerospace events in the Asia-Pacific — as well as significant freight and defence-related operations. That mix of civilian, commercial, and sensitive defence traffic means security arrangements at Avalon are treated with considerable seriousness by both the airport operator and federal and state law enforcement agencies.
Under Australia’s national aviation security framework, regulated airports such as Avalon are subject to the oversight of the Office of Transport Security within the federal Department of Home Affairs. Victoria Police provides on-ground law enforcement support, with the state’s specialist units available for call-out when required — as occurred on Thursday morning.
A reminder about what to pack — and how to pack it #
Thursday’s incident is a timely reminder for passengers that some everyday items — particularly electronics and personal care devices — can complicate the screening process if they are not packed carefully or declared when required.
The Australian Border Force and the Department of Home Affairs both advise travellers to place electronic devices, particularly those with lithium batteries, in carry-on luggage in a way that makes them easily accessible for additional screening. Devices that are tangled with cables, buried under dense items, or otherwise obscured from clear X-ray imaging are more likely to prompt a secondary check.
VCN understands that had the laser device been more clearly identifiable on the X-ray image — or had the passenger been able to quickly produce the item and identify it at the screening point — it is likely the matter would have been resolved without the bomb squad attendance that led to the terminal evacuation. That sequence of events does not imply any wrongdoing on the part of the passenger involved; the screening system is designed to err on the side of caution, and in this instance it functioned exactly as intended.
Police confirm: no threat, matter resolved #
Victoria Police confirmed in its statement that the matter was resolved and the airport was cleared to resume normal operations following the specialist assessment. No further details about the owner of the device or the precise circumstances in which it triggered the alarm were provided by police.
The Australian Federal Police, which has jurisdiction over aviation security matters at regulated airports, did not issue a separate statement at time of publication. VCN has contacted the AFP for comment.
The incident does not appear to be connected to any broader threat or investigation, and Victoria Police did not indicate that any person had been questioned or detained in relation to the matter.
A Jetstar spokesperson said the airline was aware of the security-related delays at Avalon on Thursday morning and was working to assist affected passengers, but did not provide specifics on the number of services impacted at the time of publication.
If you have information about a crime or suspicious activity, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersvic.com.au. Reports can be made anonymously.
