ORLANDO, Fla. -- The three-day security "surge" at Orlando International Airport ends on Thursday, meaning that many of the 800 Transportation Security Administration workers used to screen all 16,000 airport employees will be pulled out.

Airport officials told Local 6 News that they will pick up the slack and continue to screen all the workers but didn't say how that would be accomplished.

TSA officials announced earlier this week that it was doing a screening "surge," adding 160 extra agents to airports in Orlando, Tampa, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The announcement came days after two airport workers were arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs and weapons onto a jet that flew from Orlando to Puerto Rico, exposing a major flaw in the screening process.

Earlier this week, a security analyst said that the loopholes inthe screening process must be closed.

"When you highlight the fact that you can smuggle guns, we're also saying you can smuggle bombs, you can smuggle chemical weapons," aviation security analyst Charles Slepian said. "If we don't search people in the backs of airports, we are totally exposed."

OIA officials told Local 6 News that they want to make the screening of all employees permanent, but said the initial cost estimate could be $5 million.

Airport officials said they are trying to get federal legislation passed to help offset the cost.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.