Gatwick closed for second day as drones ruin holiday

Passengers stranded at Gatwick airport, as the airport remains closed after drones were spotted over the airfield on Thursday (Photo: PA via AP)

LONDON: London’s Gatwick airport closed for a second day after incursions by illegal drones on Thursday, creating chaos for thousands of passengers during one of the year’s busiest travel periods.

As night fell, an orchestrated two-drone intrusion kept the world’s busiest single-runway hub in lockdown and sent hundreds of scheduled flights into disarray. UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson called in the military to help end the disruption, the worst at a London airport since blizzards closed the main Heathrow hub in 2013.

“Gatwick’s runway remains unavailable because of continued drone sightings,” the airport said on its website early on Friday. Gatwick said it was continuing to work with police and security partners to resolve the situation.

A daylight search backed by helicopters failed to locate the devices -- or their operator -- and the Ministry of Defence said UK forces would be deploying specialist equipment. In a bid to ease the backlog of flights, the Department for Transport said a ban on night operations at other UK airports would be temporarily lifted.

Gatwick chief executive officer Stewart Wingate said the criminal intrusions involving two drones were “highly targeted” and designed to deliver maximum disruption in the days before Christmas. Police said the actions were clearly deliberate, though most likely not terror related.

Disorder set in late on Wednesday after reports of two objects above Gatwick caused services to be halted. More than 50 incoming planes were diverted to other hubs in Britain and mainland Europe. The airport reopened after six hours, only to shut again 45 minutes later amid further sightings. The disruption will now continue into Friday, the airport said.

Gatwick is the biggest base for discount carrier EasyJet Plc and a focus for long-haul leisure flights at British Airways. Hundreds of operations have been disrupted because of the closure, in what’s set to be one of the worst-ever disruptions by illegal drones.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and laser pointers are becoming an increasing threat for aircraft, prompting regulators to come up with new rules against operating the devices near airfields.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the disruption was “particularly difficult for people” to bear in the run up to Christmas and the New Year, and that the drone operators face as many as five years in jail if caught.