A file photo of Terminal 2 in SFO.
Courtesy of SFOSan Francisco International Airport passengers were evacuated from Terminal 2 after an unattended item was found on Sunday afternoon.
SFO officials announced shortly before 1 p.m. that passengers were evacuating the terminal so police could make sure the area was safe. “SFPD responding to Terminal 2 food court area to clear an unattended item,” the airport tweeted. “Food court and D gate areas being cleared out of abundance of caution.”
After over an hour, SFO announced at 2:30 that the evacuation was being lifted. “Issue is resolved. Employees are starting to return to post security. Passengers should be cleared shortly,” the airport said in a statement.
Video and photos posted by travelers showed crowds of passengers waiting outside the terminal or being asked to congregate in another terminal during the delay. It’s not clear how long the residual backup will last, although many flights that were scheduled to leave at 1 p.m. or later are posted as “delayed” on the departures board.
Terminal 2 has an Alaska Airlines lounge and serves a number of other domestic carriers, like Delta and American airlines.