ATLANTA — A suspicious package delayed flights and brought dozens of emergency officials to the international terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday.
Aviation sources told Channel 2's Aaron Diamant that someone spotted a package described as a box with wires hanging from it near the Customs and Immigration area of Terminal E around 4:30 p.m.
The area is where international passengers must wait in line to clear customs and recheck their bags before continuing on to other terminals in the airport.
Authorities evacuated a food court and at least six gates inside the terminal. All passengers of an outbound Air France flight were removed from a plane as well, Diamant reported.
One traveler told Channel 2 Action News they were not allowed to get off their plane until everything was cleared up.
"The captain came on and said we were on lock down and we would not leave until he didn’t know when and there were people that were not even allowed to get on this plane. They are still sitting in the passenger area. So we're just told not to get up," traveler Freddie Nichols said.
Some arriving passengers waited on planes as Atlanta Police removed the baggage from the concourse.
Dr. David Godbold and his colleague C.J. Lange told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri they were relieved to be out safe after being held in the concourse for an hour.
"It could have been our last time not making it home. Kids, wives, and everything else," Godbold said.
He told Viteri security stopped them and several other travelers as they got off the train to walk up to the concourse. He said they were allowed upstairs around forty minutes later, but the concourse had been evacuated and their connecting flight was gone.
"All of the staff that were in the buildings told us that's when the robot had gone by with the box with the, I guess wires hanging out the side," according to Godbold.
A Delta Airlines spokesperson said that the airline had found the owner of the baggage, but an airport spokesperson said the investigation was still very active.
Another traveler told WSB-TV on Twitter that everyone was moved to other concourses and that Delta employees were moving passengers off the tram. The woman also reported that everyone remained very calm and some Transportation Security Administration agents appeared to be joking.
In a statement, airport spokesman John Kennedy said, "I do not know what the unattended bag contained, but the matter was resolved by APD and operations have since returned to normal."
An airport spokesman said he did not know what was in the bag, but said police did not return it to the passenger.
Everything was re-opened at about 6:15 p.m.
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