Air France plane from Paris halted at Manchester Airport over 'suspicious item' on board

The alert comes two days after an easyJet plane bound for Morocco was evacuated at the airport

It is believed The plane's captain raised the alarm so that emergency crews could be placed on standby (Getty Images)

A plane from Paris was halted on the runway at Manchester Airport after a suspicious electronic device was found on board.

Police and fire crews surrounded the Air France Airbus A321 after it landed from Paris Charles de Gaulle at 1.30pm today.

It is believed that the plane's captain raised the alarm so that emergency crews could be placed on standby.

Passengers were disembarked when the plane touched down and the abandoned device was seized and safely security checked.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "Shortly before 1.30pm, police received a report of a potentially suspicious item on a flight from Paris due to land at Manchester Airport.

"The aircraft landed a short time later, where it was met by emergency services and airport staff and passengers safely disembarked from the flight.

"The electronic item in question has been seized by officers and has now been safely security checked. Officers are now working to establish the identity of its owner.

"In the meantime, the airport has resumed business as usual."

The alert comes two days after an easyJet plane bound for Morocco was evacuated at Manchester Airport following reports a man had claimed to be carrying a bomb.

Two men were arrested following that incident on Thursday. One has been released on police bail pending further inquiries and another has been released without charge.

A spokesperson for the airport said "Manchester Airport operations team responded to a request from police to meet an aircraft travelling from France this afternoon.

"The aircraft was scheduled to arrive just after 13:30, it landed safely and was met by emergency services.

"Passengers and crew safely disembarked whilst the police continued their operation. Anyone wanting further information should contact GMP.''