STANSTED Airport was evacuated after a fire alarm was set off by a malfunctioning baggage belt.
Passengers hoping to jet off on holiday were forced to leave the busy airport.
Photos show hopeful holidaymakers huddled outside the departures terminal.
Passengers took to Twitter to describe the large queues as the fire brigade arrived at the scene.
One person wrote: "At Stansted airport, just had mass evacuation due to a fire alarm.
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"Fire brigade have turned up. Can see us missing our flight."
Another said: "So, mass evacuation at #Stansted. Fire alarms going off.
"General pandemonium. Guess that's me missing my flight."
A third added: "Oh lovely. Stuck on a bus outside Stansted Airport because it’s been evacuated so we can’t get off."
A spokesperson for Stansted Airport told The Sun: "There was a fire alarm detection in Landside departures.
"The check in area was evacuated under normal procedures as a precaution and is imminently going to be stood down with operation going back to normal."
An Essex Police spokesperson said: “Our officers assisted with crowd management after a fire alarm detection at Stansted Airport.
“The check-in area was evacuated under normal procedures as a precaution.
“The scene was stood down by 12.10pm.”