A “suspicious” item that sparked an evacuation and flight delays at Melbourne’s Avalon Airport on Thursday has been revealed as a laser hair removal device and tubes of hot chocolate.

The beauty device and gourmet chocolate powder were found during airport baggage screening at the domestic terminal just after 6am.

The discovery triggered the partial evacuation of the airport, with a large area cordoned off as a precaution as the bomb squad moved in.

At least one flight was grounded and others were delayed as chaos ensued.

Bomb squad checks have since concluded the item was a laser hair removal device.

The male owner of the bag was detained while the operation was underway.

The bomb squad was called in to investigate the suspicious baggage. Photo: 9News

The young bespectacled man was interviewed later by 10 News and opened his bag to show the chocolate powder which he said he had bought as gifts.

“I just got some chocolate powder — this is what I got, chocolate powder for my friends for my uncle, and they thought this looked like C4,” he told 10 News.

“And they had me stay in the car for four hours and then, like, ask me a bunch of questions and now I’m free.

“They asked me, like, they thought it was a bomb and then they realised it wasn’t a bomb and then it was like, it is illicit, is it illegal drugs?

“And then they get it tested they have to get everything tested.”

The man did not discuss the laser hair removal device.

He said he didn’t blame the police for doing their jobs.

Victoria Police Acting Inspector Nick Uebergang earlier said the man was “not too cooperative” during the incident.

“It made things difficult, we could have averted things and got out of here a lot quicker,” he told media.

“He wasn’t giving us too much information at all, on what was in his bag.”

No charges have been laid and the man was released from police custody.

Passengers were caught up in an emergency situation at Avalon Airport. Photo: 9News

An Avalon Airport spokesperson told AAP the suspicious item was found during the screening process, prompting a police response.

A flight to Brisbane was delayed, according to a traveller named 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 “no one knew what was going on”.

“We knew something was fairly significant, lots of police cars going into the airport,” Lisa said.

The airport has since reopened and operations have resumed, with police no longer deeming the situation a risk.

An airport spokesperson said the reaction to the bag discovery demonstrated “the vigilance of the screening and security processes”.

Precautionary measures were taken immediately to ensure the safety of passengers, staff and the broader community, the spokesperson said.

-with AAP