The suspect, named as Nadeem Muhammed, was originally detained at the airport on January 30, the Manchester Evening News reports.
A suspicious device was discovered and the man arrested and later bailed. An address in Bury was then raided and the man charged with making or possessing explosives.
Manchester airport said staff had “identified a prohibited item passing through security” but declined to comment further while legal proceedings were on-going.
Meanwhile, German authorities have ruled out terrorism following an incident at Hamburg airport on Sunday. The airport was evacuated and 68 people hospitalised when a corrosive substance spread through the air conditioning system.
