Joke about bomb at NZ airport turns sour

An Australian man's joke about a bomb in his luggage turned sour at Hamilton International Airport this morning.

The traveller from Sydney sparked a security alert at the airport and faces charges of breaching the Aviation Act.

Acting Senior Sergeant Ricky Thompson said the alarm was raised shortly before 8am when Aviation Security staff called police about a man who had told them there was a ticking bomb in one of his bags.

"He'd arrived on a trans-Tasman flight early this morning and was waiting in the terminal with the intent of arranging further transport and wandered off, leaving his bags unattended," Mr Thompson said.

"Returning to the upstairs lounge he found Av-Sec staff with his bags who cautioned him about leaving his luggage unattended in an airport to which he responded that one of his bags contained a bomb and could they not hear it ticking?"

Realising his attempt at humour was back-firing, the man told the security officers he was only joking.

The 44-year-old man's bags were searched and no suspicious devices were found, but a Swiss Army knife was recovered.

The man was arrested.

Mr Thompson said police hoped the man's arrest would serve as a timely reminder of how serious security around airports was taken.

"It's not something we take lightly and anyone contemplating similar behaviour would be best advised to keep their `jokes' to themselves," said Mr Thompson.

- NZPA