Part of Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 2 was evacuated on Friday morning, disrupting one of the busiest travel days of the year for the airport.
The evacuations caused long delays outside the airport for drivers who could not reach the departures level.
Passengers are now allowed back inside the terminal, and traffic has resumed on the upper level. However, passengers are experiencing additional delays trying to check their bags.
The evacuations followed the discovery of a suspicious package in a ticketing area at around 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Lyft driver Todd told KNX that traffic was being diverted.
“Everybody’s being directed onto the lower level, which is the arrival level whether you're dropping off or picking up,” he said Friday morning.
Todd also saw employees evacuated from inside Terminal 2.
According to Todd, it would take at least 35 minutes for drivers to get around the horseshoe loop connecting terminals.
KNX also talked with Uber driver Masood, who confirmed passengers could not be dropped off at the departures level of Terminal 2 on Friday morning.
CBS LA shared a video of the "massive backup" in traffic outside LAX.
The LAPD bomb squad was called in. It determined the package was safe at about 8 a.m., airport officials told City News Service.
Airport police were able to clear the package, according to LAX's Twitter account.
The airport's Twitter account also tweeted, “Airport Police and operations personnel are working hard to get everyone moving again in the central terminal area. We are deploying additional resources to help people get moving.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.