A passenger apparently forgot that he had three bullets in his carry-on bag when he attempted to fly from Victoria to Vancouver on Saturday afternoon.
As a result, the Air Canada flight he had been preparing to take was cancelled and passengers were rebooked on other flights, said Ken Gallant, director of operations and safety at Victoria International Airport.
The passenger had been cleared through pre-board screening but a further review of an X-ray image identified what airport officials called a “threat item.”
As a result, the passenger had to go through screening again and the bullets were found and confiscated, Gallant said.
Passengers already onboard the man’s flight had to leave the aircraft so it could be checked by security.
“The passenger forgot they were in his bag,” he said. “There were no other articles of concern on the passenger and he was cleared to fly.”
When security officials spotted the bullets, all passengers who had been in the secured departure lounge had to cleared and screened again, Gallant said. Some minor delays were experienced.