‘Modified’ hairdryer prompts evacuation and temporary closure of Aspen airport

A ‘modified’ hairdryer packed inside a checked suitcase triggered a security alert at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), prompting the evacuation of the airport. The airport was closed for two and half hours due to the incident, which occurred on April 13, 2025. 

Security scanners were triggered when the object was detected inside a checked suitcase, and was later revealed to be a hairdryer that had been patched up and held together with tape. 

Hairdryers and electric-powered hair tools are generally allowed as checked-in items on flights, but due to the hairdryer’s heavily-taped and modified state, Transport Security Administration (TSA) agents were not able to determine what the object was, and raised security alarms out of an abundance of caution.“If something looks suspicious on screen and they’re not able to resolve it, and our explosive specialist was not able to resolve that without getting better visibility on it — and these are people who are highly trained in their position — we have to use and trust their expertise, and that’s what happened here,” TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers told Aspen Daily News.

Hundreds of passengers were ordered to evacuate the airport, and because operations were temporarily ceased, flights were also delayed.Aspen/Pitkin County Airport said that airport terminals were reopened at around 14:00 local time. All passenger bags were rescreened.

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