French police have arrested a man who called in a false bomb alert to an airport to delay his girlfriend’s flight because she was in danger of missing it.

The 33-year-old French man called the regional airport of Bordeaux-Merignac in

southwestern France and told authorities “there is a bomb,” reported AFP news agency.

Police immediately sealed off part of the airport to conduct searches, but they found not explosive device.

The man was arrested some 20 kilometers away from the airport and taken into custody, reported RIA Novosti news agency of Russia.

Under police questioning, he admitted calling in the bomb alert and

explained he wanted to delay his girlfriend’s flight because she was stuck in traffic.

The man is due to appear in court in Bordeaux, but the date of the hearing is yet unknown.

According to the prosecutors, he risks up to two years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine.