The airport, the second busiest in the UK, said in a statement: “The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police.”

Earlier in the day, police said that they had been called to the south terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8:20 am local time and that an explosive ordnance disposal team was being deployed as a precaution.

The force said: “To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with.

“This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it added.

Gatwick Airport, located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of London, confirmed that its south terminal was evacuated as a precaution to investigate a security incident.

The alert disrupted weekend travel plans for thousands of people, with more than 600 flights due to land or take off from Gatwick on Friday, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium cited by Reuters.

Pictures on social media showed passengers draped in foil blankets that were distributed to help protect them from the cold.