Palmerston North Airport has closed and all flights have been cancelled as police respond to reports of a threat.
A police spokesperson told Newshub a threat was made at around 2:15pm and officers are currently working to establish the circumstances.
Emergency services, including the New Zealand Defence Force's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, are in attendance.
The closure is a precautionary measure as an investigation into the threat continues, the spokesperson added.
The airport's website says all arrivals and departures for Thursday evening have been cancelled.
The airport's chief executive, David Lanham, said the incident relates to the terminal's carpark area.
The entrance to the airport has been blocked and some passengers have been secured in the terminal, he continued, while others are waiting on Airport Dr to collect or drop people off.
"Police are on site and are in control of the scene. We're really being guided by them at the moment," he told the New Zealand Herald.
A couple of flights had landed at the airport earlier and one was diverted, Lanham added. No planes are able to depart until the scene is determined to be safe.
One Twitter user said he was standing outside the airport with "a couple-hundred people while police investigate a bomb threat".
"Hope it turns out to be nothing," he wrote. "So grateful to the police for the calm, controlled response."
