Police were investigating one of their own on Thursday after he sought to fly to Athens from Larnaca without going through security checks, causing hours of delay to two flights.

The off-duty police lieutenant who works for airport security, used his security pass on Wednesday afternoon to bypass checks on his way to board a flight to Athens.

The officer’s action prompted a security alert, forcing airport authorities to recheck the passengers of two flights who had already boarded their aircraft.

An airport spokesperson described the incident as “very serious”.

“From the moment someone has not gone through security the entire area is considered tainted and all the people who were there must be checked without exception.”

No one, including police officers, can use their security pass when off-duty, the spokesperson said.