Comments on social media force closure of Kāpiti airport

Kāpiti Airport has been forced to close due to a “possible security event” following comments made on social media.

Police received a report on the comments on social media directed at Kāpiti airport around 11:30 am today, a police spokesman said.

“The airport made the decision to close as a precaution.

“An investigation into the comments is underway.”

A spokesman for the airport said it was closed to air traffic due to “a possible security event.”

“We take the safety of our staff, Airways staff and the public very seriously.

“As such, as a precautionary measure, the tower and runway were closed while the police investigated.”

The statement said that “for staff welfare reasons,” the tower and runway will remain closed at this stage and a further update is expected on when the airport will reopen tomorrow.

Earlier this week, the University of Otago abandoned several graduation ceremonies after receiving threats, including a warning of a shooting.

The Otago Daily Times confirmed that the warning was sent by email and also included a bombing threat.

Police declined to comment on the nature of the threat.

“While we understand that people want to know the specific nature of the threat, at this stage of our investigations we are unable to provide this detail as it could compromise the outcome of the investigation.

The cancellations affected hundreds of students, many of whom had postponed previous graduation ceremonies due to Covid-19.