A security scare that sent Melbourne’s Avalon airport into partial lockdown and caused a series of flight delays was caused by a laser removal hair device, police say.Victoria police said the discovery of a suspicious item had sparked a safety check at the airport shortly after 6am Thursday morning.The airport was partially evacuated and an area cordoned off as a precaution as police investigated.After the airport fully reopened, police said: “The Bomb Response Unit conducted checks on an item, and it was determined to be a laser hair removal device.”An Avalon airport spokesperson said the “response demonstrates the vigilance of the screening and security processes” and precautionary measures were “taken immediately to ensure the safety of passengers, staff and the broader community”.It came after an airport spokesperson said a suspicious item was found during the screening process, prompting the police response.“Victoria Police attended and an individual has been detained. The matter is now being managed by police,” a spokesperson said earlier on Thursday.“At this stage, passengers are being advised that, due to safety precautions, delays are expected. Passengers are advised to contact Jetstar regarding their flights.”Several travellers called talkback radio stations to discuss their snarled travel plans.One man, David, told 3AW Breakfast that he arrived on the scene before a schedule flight to Brisbane, but he couldn’t get in the terminal.“There’s people queued up for miles,” the man told the radio station. “They blocked it off at the entrance way where the roundabout is, people actually walking out on foot from the airport. They’re sort of blocked us off.”A flight to Brisbane was delayed, according to Lisa, who was due to fly out of the airport just before 9am.She described the situation as “a bit of mayhem”, telling ABC Melbourne that “no one knew what was going on”.“We knew something was fairly significant, lots of police cars going into the airport,” Lisa added.The airport expected additional delays throughout the day.