Fort Lauderdale airport bomb threat prompts terminal evacuation

At the end of Sunday, more than 470 flights were delayed at the airport.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Travelers were temporarily forced to evacuate a terminal Sunday at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a reported bomb threat.

Around 6:45 p.m. Sunday, the airport posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, a "travel advisory" saying that authorities evacuated the upper level of Terminal 1 and shut down the airport's Departures entrance due to a "developing security-related incident." This was done in an "abundance of caution."

"Travel Advisory: Due to a developing security-related incident, law enforcement has evacuated the upper level of Terminal 1 and temporarily closed #FLL's Departures entrance in an abundance of caution until further notice," the post said. "Updates will be posted as more info is available."

Travel Advisory: Due to a developing security-related incident, law enforcement has evacuated the upper level of Terminal 1 and temporarily closed #FLL's Departures entrance in an abundance of caution until further notice. Updates will be posted as more info is available.

— Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l Airport (FLL) (@FLLFlyer) December 17, 2023

During this time, the entrance to the Departures roadway was shut down temporarily during the investigation.

According to multiple South Florida news outlets, the Broward County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies were called to investigate a bomb threat reportedly made at the airport.

CBS Miami reports deputies detained a man for questioning. However, the sheriff's office did not release any additional information about the reported threat or their investigation.

Just after 8:30 p.m., the airport tweeted an update saying the "security incident" was cleared by law enforcement and travelers were allowed back in Terminal 1. All airport roadways were reopened and terminal operations were able to "return to normal."

"Travel Advisory Update No. 2: Law enforcement has cleared the security incident in Terminal 1 and all airport roadway and terminal operations are returning to normal," the tweet said. "We appreciate your patience during this incident."

Travel Advisory Update No. 2: Law enforcement has cleared the security incident in Terminal 1 and all airport roadway and terminal operations are returning to normal. We appreciate your patience during this incident.

— Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l Airport (FLL) (@FLLFlyer) December 18, 2023

According to FlightAware, a total of 477 flights were delayed Sunday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The flight tracker did not break down the timing of these delays, although at least some of the delays occurred during the temporary evacuation. Only five flights were reported canceled.