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Evert Elzinga / EPA
A site at Schiphol airport where an unexploded World War II bomb was found during excavation works on Wednesday.
Parts of Amsterdam's Schiphol international airport – one of Europe's busiest aviation hubs – were shut down Wednesday after workers found an undetonated bomb during routine construction work.
"This will most likely have an impact on flight routine at our airport and could lead to delays and cancellations," an airport official told NBC News.
WWII bomb found near terminal C in Schiphol Amsterdam - major #'flightdelay expected ow.ly/dj8hf
— EUROCONTROL (@eurocontrol) August 29, 2012
Workers found the explosive device during construction work on a new hydrant system to be used for re-fueling aircraft.
Experts blow up 550-pound WWII bomb found in Munich
Schiphol is one of Europe's busiest airports and handles approximately 50 million passengers annually.
A statement on its website said: "The bomb squad is investigating at the moment. This may have implications for air traffic in the form of cancellations and delays."
The Brussels-based main European air traffic control agency, Eurocontrol, posted on Twitter that passengers could expect "major delays."
The find comes only a day after experts in Munich triggered a controlled explosion of a 550-pound American WWII bomb in the center of Munich.
Police in Munich say experts successfully detonated the remains of a 550-pound bomb from the Second World War on Tuesday evening.
"A bomb disposal team with experts is presently assessing the situation, which will determine how long we will need to keep the section of the terminal closed," Cora Koopstra, from the airport's "action team," told NBC News.
The device was discovered at "Pier C," the wing of the terminal used mainly by flights to and from the European Union's passport-free Schengen zone. The terminal is a busy hub for European travelers and those connecting to Schengen destinations from international flights such as those from the U.S.
During World War II, Nazi Germany used the airport as a base for air raids on Britain. In 1943, the airport was destroyed by allied fighter aircraft; 400 tons of U.S. bombs were dropped on the complex.
More world stories from NBC News:
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- Red Cross halts most Pakistan aid in wake of beheading
- Unexploded WWII bomb disrupts Amsterdam airport
- Pakistani Christians live in fear after girl's blasphemy arrest
- 'A less polar pole': Arctic sea ice at record low
- Botched restoration turns Spanish church into tourist attraction
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"If one bomb falls on Germany, you can call me Meier"
the Netherlands too
Just amazing that they still find these bombs around. Every once in a while they find a mine floating around the ocean too. I think that as the decades go by we lose track of just how massive that war was. I used to travel to France a lot for work and the little city we visited still had bullet holes in the walls of the buildings and a sort of shrine to Patton in the hotel where we stayed.
It seems as if throughout Europe WWII bombs are being dug-up and blown-up all week.
Is this the Eurpoean version of shovel-ready economic stimulus?
ps: Might it have been clever to dig up the bombs before building the airport?
Just look at the site where this 550 pound bomb was found. Just right across the run way from the fuel tanks.
QUOTE: "This may have implications for air traffic in the form of cancellations and delays."
Oh those airlines! They're always looking for something to blame it all on.
Interesting story. All ordinance is dangerous, if I recall a collector of Civil War ordinance was killed a few years back while trying to make an old cannonball inert. Incredible that something over 140 years old is still capable of killing someone.