As part of inquiries into Saturday’s terror attack two plain clothes police officers wearing high visibility police jackets stood at Border Control at Inverness Airport and asked passengers arriving from Gatwick if they were in the London Bridge area on Saturday night.
A late flight from London Luton was also due into the airport at Dalcross.
It is believed that police were not talking to passengers on any other inbound flights.
Both officers are based at the airport and were apparently conducting normal duties but also asking questions in line with the national response to the attacks.
Oxfordshire-based woman Carol Walker, who arrived on the 2.15pm flight from Gatwick, said: “They (police) were asking if anyone was in the London Bridge area last night (Saturday).”
Another passenger who was at an Elton John concert on Saturday night in another part of London, corroborated.
Two armed police officers were also visible in the airport terminal yesterday afternoon – a familiar sight since the recent Manchester bombing.
Lossiemouth couple Norma and Trevor Burley were on the mid-afternoon flight from Gatwick and were at a show in the Charing Cross area of London before taking a train to their airport hotel at about 10.50pm, shortly after the attacks.
Mrs Burley said: “My daughter phoned me when we were on the train. She had seen it on the news. I said to her ‘we’re okay as we’re on the train and heading out of London’.”
Mr Burley added that they were unaware of what had happened at the time until overhearing a couple on the train in discussion about the events.
Tom Mair, who was about to take the 3pm flight to Gatwick after visiting his parents in Bonar Bridge, said he has frequented the Borough Market area “several times” in the nine years he has been living in the capital.
The 27-year-old, who grew up in the Sutherland village and now works for a film and TV production company in Soho, added: “I will continue with things as normal, or at least try.”
“It’s always horrible when I read about this happening. I get news via Twitter and got it immediately. It’s the same with the Ariana Grande concert, Borough Market is usually lots of people out enjoying themselves.
“What’s happened hasn’t really impacted anything my parents say to me. They are saddened by the events but are aware of the difficulties in trying to get solutions.”
Jason Wilson, 30, of Alness, arrived later in the afternoon on a flight from Birmingham and said that the length of time taken to get through security was “twice as long” as normal and that “about every second person” was being body scanned.
