Stranded passengers look at the departures board at Gatwick Airport, Britain, December 20, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media. Ani Kochiashvili/via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Gatwick Airport canceled all flights on Thursday after drones flying near the airport grounded flights and will not reopen before Friday morning at the earliest, the BBC reported.

As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest airport, police hunted for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway.

Gatwick declined to comment on the report.