More than 200 flights have been delayed after a bomb disposal unit was scrambled following the discovery of a suspicious package at a major international airport.
The emergency plunged Terminal One at San Francisco International Airport into Boxing Day chaos as police swarmed the scene.
Officers from the San Francisco Police Department arrived at the scene at roughly 8.15 a.m. local time after receiving reports about the item.
The airport confirmed the closure on X, stating: "Terminal 1 Departures Level lobby is closed due to police activity. Please avoid the departures level of the domestic terminals."
Road access to domestic terminals was redirected to the International Terminal owing to congestion.
Passengers without luggage to check were advised to proceed to the International Terminal and access their gates through security checkpoints there.
The airport added: "Departing passengers with no bags to check, drop off at International Terminal and use the security checkpoints there to get to your gates."
Later, the all clear was given, and Terminal One was operational again with the airport announcing: "Terminal One has fully re-opened and all ticket counters are open."
However, while the threat was gone, travel chaos ensued.
The all-clear was soon given but major delays continued
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The travel hub warned: "There is still heavy roadway congestion, so give yourself extra time getting to the airport and consider dropping off at the International Terminal and taking AirTrain. Thank you for your patience!"
The security scare compounded existing difficulties for those attempting to travel.
Data from FlightAware revealed 237 flights had been delayed and 20 cancelled at the airport on Friday morning, with all affected services being domestic routes.
Weather conditions had already created problems before the evacuation, with the Federal Aviation Administration implementing a ground delay programme due to wind, causing average delays of 98 minutes.
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Some travellers were left devastated over the festive season delays
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The Boxing Day travel chaos led to some distraught feelings from those stranded at the airport.
Raven Davis, who was heading to Nigeria for a wedding, despaired: "I am dying inside trying to hold it together because I know, like sitting here crying about it won’t help me fix the situation."
"I’m probably going to be stuck at LAX for a while then because I’m not sure if they have another flight to Sao Paulo because they have like a daily flight, I believe," Victor Barbosa, who was also stranded, told local news.
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