GATWICK AIRPORT: Britain called in the army on Thursday to help police hunta drone pilot who grounded all flights from Gatwick airport, leavingthousands stranded on one of the busiest days of the year.
The airport closed its only runway late Wednesday following “reports of twodrones flying in and around the airfield” and further sightings onThursday, according to Gatwick’s CEO Stewart Wingate.
The closure, which remained in place at 6 PM Thursday (1800 GMT), strandedtens of thousands of travellers days before Christmas — and prompted theunusual military operation.
“We will be deploying the armed forces to… deal with the situation withthe drones at Gatwick Airport,” Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told SkyNews television.
“We are there to assist and do everything we can,” he said, declining togive the troops’ exact role and adding that it followed a request fromlocal police.
Gatwick, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the British capital, isthe eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world’sbusiest single-runway air hub.
Inbound flights were diverted to other airports while passengers waiting totake off faced gruelling delays as airlines cut services.
Easyjet, Gatwick’s biggest operator, said it had cancelled all its flightsin and out of the hub for the day.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said night-flight restrictions would belifted at some airports Thursday night to help ease the situation.
“It’s right and proper that we try and sort people’s Christmases out,” hesaid.
Some 10,000 passengers were affected on Wednesday night and a further110,000 who had been due to either take off or land at the airport on 760flights Thursday.’Highly targeted activity’
Two drones were first spotted flying over Gatwick at around 9:00 PM (2100GMT) on Wednesday. The airfield briefly reopened at 3:00 AM on Thursday buthad to be closed again following further sightings.
Gatwick CEO Wingate said the incident was “a highly targeted activity whichhas been designed to close the airport and bring maximum disruption in therun-up to Christmas”.
“We are still not in a position to say when it will be safe to reopen theairport,” he added in a statement Thursday evening. “As soon as we can wewill.”
Authorities earlier said it would be dangerous to shoot at the drone due tothe danger of stray bullets.
A cat-and-mouse manhunt is underway to catch those operating the drones,with more than 20 police units and dozens of officers from two local forcesdeployed.
Sussex Police said they believed that the devices “are of an industrialspecification”.
Police superintendent Justin Burtenshaw said: “We believe this to be adeliberate act to disrupt the airport. However, there are absolutely noindications to suggest this is terror-related.”
He added: “Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the dronedisappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears.” -APP/AFP