San Antonio airport reopens after bomb threat forces evacuation

San Antonio International Airport officials gave the all-clear Wednesday afternoon after a phoned-in bomb threat forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 passengers and personnel.

Some flights were landing again as scheduled, the airport said, after the terminals and nearby parking garages were examined and cleared by bomb squads.

Police left the airport to direct traffic, which grew congested as more people tried to leave the area.

The incident began just after 2 p.m. when airport officials received a “very specific threat” alleging that three packages had been left in the basement of the short-term parking garage. The call, made by an unidentified man, also made unspecified threats against both airport terminals, police said.

Within 15 minutes, officials had begun herding passengers onto the tarmac in 98-degree heat. They sent arriving planes to parking spots far from the gates.

Bomb squads checked and cleared terminals A and B.

Bomb-sniffing dogs brought into the parking structure reacted to three cars in the basement level “as if there could possibly be explosives,” San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at a televised news conference.

All three cars were later declared clear.

Airport officials expect flight delays, and possibly cancellations, as a result of the evacuation.

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