Tigerair flights were evacuated and several others cancelled after a security threat at Melbourne Airport on Friday night.

Parts of Terminal Four were also evacuated about 9pm on Friday and the airline's operations were shut down until Victoria Police declared the area safe at 5.15am on Saturday, Melbourne Airport spokeswoman Anna Gillett said.

A Tigerair spokesman said the security scare was sparked by information the airline received on Friday, which was then passed on to police.

It is understood the threat related to a plane that was on the runway and the surrounding area.

"The threat did not pertain to the terminal area," the spokesman said.