Gatwick drone attack was an ‘inside job’

Operator knew what was going on at airport and may have been listening in on radio, says security boss

The drone incursion at Gatwick Airport that led to 1,000 flights being cancelled and delays for 140,000 passengers due to the 33-hour shutdown was an “inside job”, the airport’s chief operating officer has said. Chris Woodroofe, who was the “gold commander” in charge of responding to the attack, said the drone pilot “seemed to be able to see what was happening on the runway” and the vehicle was designed to avoid detection.

THE drone attack on Gatwick airport was an “inside job” by someone who seemed to be able to see what was happening on the runway, according to the official who led the response.

In his first interview since the chaotic episode in December last year, Chris Woodroofe, the airport’s chief operating officer, said the drone pilot “seemed to be able to see what was happening on the runway” and the vehicle was designed to avoid detection.

Mr Woodroofe, who was the “gold commander” in charge of responding to the sustained attack, told Panorama on BBC One, that the pilot may even have been “following the airport’s actions by eavesdropping on radio or internet communications”.

More than 140,000 passengers were affected by the 33-hour shutdown, with around 1,000 flights delayed or cancelled between December 19 and 21.

Despite nearly 70 reported drone sightings in the space of a few hours, no photographic evidence exists showing a drone above the airfield, fuelling speculation that there may never have been one – a suggestion vehemently denied by Mr Woodroofe.

He told the BBC that many of the sightings were by people he knew and trusted: “Members of my team, people I have worked with for a decade … who have worked for 30 years on the airfield, who fully understand the implications of reporting a drone sighting.

“They knew they’d seen a drone. I know they saw a drone. We appropriately closed the airport.”

At least one person noted the characteristic cross shape. Others described it as “industrial or commercial” and “not something you could pop into Argos for”, an airport spokesperson said.

Whoever was responsible had “specifically selected” a drone that could not be seen by the DJI Aeroscope drone detection system that the airport was testing at the time, he added.

Sussex Police told Panorama that the possibility an “insider” was involved was a “credible line” of inquiry. Its investigation was expected to take “some months to complete”.

Mr Woodroofe also denied that his team overreacted by shutting down Britain’s second busiest airport for so long, causing huge disruption. “There is absolutely nothing that I would do differently when I look back at the incident, because ultimately, my number one priority has to be to maintain the safety of our passengers, and that’s what we did,” he said.

“It was terrible that 140,000 people’s journeys were disrupted – but everyone was safe.”

Gatwick has improved its anti-drone systems, installing equipment designed to spot rogue vehicles much more quickly.

“We would know the drone was arriving on site and we’d know where that drone had come from, where it was going to, and we’d have a much better chance of catching the perpetrator,” he said.

The airport now sends up a drone every day to test the detection equipment, and “it finds that drone”, added Mr Woodroofe, who joined Gatwick in 2006 and became head of security in 2012. He said the episode should act as a warning to businesses.

“What this incident has demonstrated is that a drone operator with malicious intent can cause serious disruption to airport operations,” Mr Woodroofe said.

“And it’s clear that disruption could be carried over into other industries and other environments.”