Passengers at Roland-Garros Airport (RUN) in Sainte-Marie, Réunion, were surprised on the night of 20-21 July when security services evacuated the main departures hall after an unattended suitcase was spotted near the check-in area. Under France’s Vigipirate security protocol—currently at its highest level—any abandoned item inside an air terminal triggers an immediate perimeter clearance until explosives experts declare the area safe. The evacuation started at 20:05 local time and lasted 55 minutes, during which time two Air Austral departures to Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Mayotte were held at the gate. The baggage eventually proved harmless, yet the disruption illustrates the zero-tolerance approach French authorities now apply nationwide, including in overseas departments. For corporates sending assignees to the Indian Ocean territory—often on short rotation for sugar, renewable-energy or telecom projects—the incident is a reminder that even small operational hiccups can cascade into missed connections in Paris or Dubai. Mobility coordinators should advise employees to arrive early, keep personal items in sight, and monitor the airport’s Twitter feed @AeroportRUN for live updates, which proved faster than airline lounges’ information screens during the event. The airport operator confirmed that it will install additional CCTV analytics and deploy patrol dogs during the August travel surge. A working group with the prefecture is examining whether the facility should move to multi-layer screening similar to that at Paris-Orly, where behavioural detection officers roam landside areas. Although no flights were ultimately cancelled, the episode again raises the broader question of harmonising security standards between mainland France and its overseas territories—an issue airlines say is vital before the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) starts stress-testing border-control capacity later this year.
Source: Radio Free Dom
