Drones bring airport to its knees
BRITAIN called in the army yesterday after dozens of drone sightings grounded all flights from London’s Gatwick Airport for more than 24 hours, leaving more than 100,000 passengers stranded on one of the busiest days of the year.
The airport, which closed its only runway early Thursday after “reports of two drones flying in and around the airfield”, said yesterday it could not be reopened after further appearances of the devices.
“Gatwick’s runway remains unavailable because of continued drone sightings,” it said.
Police and airport authorities believe they were being flown in a deliberate act to dis- rupt the airport. The unusually large drones had been seen near the airfield more than 50 times over the 24-hour period, police said.
“We think it may have been adapted and developed,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley of the devices, adding officers were reviewing CCTV footage to identify the make and model.
He said firearms officers were considering shooting the device down.
Specialist equipment has been deployed by the Ministry of Defence to assist police.
Gisele Fenech, 43, who was travelling to Malta, was among those stranded at the airport.
“We’re meeting family and it’s my daughter’s birthday today, so it’s gone all wrong,” she told AFP.
Gatwick, about 50km south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world’s busiest single-runway air hub.