'Ground Stop' Issued At San Diego Airport Due To Security Concern

SAN DIEGO, CA — Authorities grounded flights and cleared Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport Thursday following a security concern, airport officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a full-ground stop for flights departing from Terminal 2 after a passenger bypassed a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint around 12:25 p.m. without having a bag screened, according to the airport and the TSA.

TSA officers searched for the traveler but were unable to find him, TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said in a statement sent to Patch. The TSA then cleared Terminal 2 East and West. Passengers also had to get off planes that were departing from the terminal.

"TSA directed that all passengers in the post-security areas of T2, including those boarded on planes, to be sent back to the pre-security side of the terminal to be rescreened," airport officials said on Twitter.

By 2:35 p.m., TSA began resceening travelers through the Terminal 2 security checkpoints, Dankers said. As of 3:45 p.m., law enforcement canines and TSA had completed a sweep of the terminal and gate areas.

TSA estimated between 5,000 and 7,000 travelers would need to be rescreened over the next few hours in addition to travelers regularly scheduled to depart the airport, Dankers said.

"We continue to ask all travelers to exercise patience as operations return to normal," Dankers said.

A number of flight arrivals and departures were delayed Thursday afternoon, according to the airport's website.