Gatwick airport delays: Flights resume despite new drone sighting

Police say they have identified 'persons of interest'

Gatwick still hit with severe delays despite some flights landing following drone stunt

Gatwick Airport was forced to suspend flights for just over an hour following another drone sighting on Friday evening.

The runway reopened after officials were assured that the new "military measures" in place meant it was safe for planes to take off and land.

"While we investigated, airfield movements were suspended," said a spokesperson for the airport. "This was a precautionary measure as safety remains our main priority,

"The military measures we have in place at the airport have provided us with the reassurance necessary that it is safe to reopen our airfield."

Sussex Police said they were "deploying significant resources to seek and locate the drone and its operator" but there were reports that the culprits were taunting officers by flying overhead while flashing their lights.

Officers said they had identified “a number of persons of interest” after there were more than 50 sightings of the craft in the 24 hours from 9pm on Wednesday, when Gatwick was first forced to close.

Sussex Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said investigators are keeping an open mind over the motive behind the drone attacks but are not treating it as a terrorist incident.

Mr Barry described the drone activity as "really high-end criminal behaviour". He said: "This is a really significant criminal offence. There are resources here at Gatwick Airport now to mitigate the threat of that and a lot of resources to bring the offender to justice."

It is believed that the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system, which can detect drones using radar, is one of the pieces of equipment being used to prevent further disruption.

Police are also prepared to blast the drones out of the sky with a shotgun or jam them with a hi-tech radar system.

A £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the culprits is being offered by the Crimestoppers charity.

The latest drone activity meant another 108 arrivals were cancelled or diverted and 83 departures were aborted on Friday. Several flights were diverted to other airports around the UK.

Passengers have been advised to check with their airlines as to the status of their flight before travelling to Gatwick.

See below for our coverage of events as they happened:

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Key Points

• Runway closed for an hour after new drone sighting
• Airport re-opened early on Friday morning
• Police yet to find culprits
• Drones not terror-related 'as far as we know'

[21 December 2018 19:14 · Peter Stubley]

The recent drone sighting has only increased uncertainty for passengers waiting at Gatwick, including our chief football writer Miguel Delaney. Staff had feared flights would be suspended for the night.

[21 December 2018 19:16 · Peter Stubley]

Other passengers have seen their re-scheduled flights cancelled or delayed by several hours.

Lena Balbek, 38, a project manager from Kiev who was visiting an agency in London, has been trying to return home since Thursday. She said her flight with Ukraine International Airlines was re-scheduled for 7pm on Friday but it has now been pushed back until 10pm.

Ms Balbek told the Press Association: "These things happen. You don't have insurance for such things, it could happen.

"The well-being as passengers is the most important, I trust the security to do whatever they have to do. I'm disappointed it's been pushed back but we're alive and if they tell us it's okay, then I'll feel safe."

[21 December 2018 20:07 · Peter Stubley]

With the police still hunting for the rogue drone operators, a £10,000 reward for information has been offered by Lord Ashcroft, former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

[21 December 2018 20:43 · Peter Stubley]

Gatwick says 108 arrivals have been cancelled or diverted and 83 departures have been aborted throughout the day.

However it anticipates delays to be cleared by the end of the night.

[21 December 2018 21:54 · Peter Stubley]

Passengers arriving at Gatwick are understandably irritated but are mostly relieved to have made it.

Karen Le Paige, 61, was initially told her flight from Guernsey on Friday might have to be diverted to Southampton following the new drone sighting.

"We were waiting in the airport and then they said it was a suspected drone again," she said. "They kept us well informed but it is very irritating.

"You don't expect something like that to go on continuously. There's not much you can do but luckily we've made it and we're here."

Meanwhile Laura Cammarata, 27, has seen two flights to Sicily cancelled since Thursday.

Ms Cammarata said: "We did the whole process again, we got the train, we started queuing up and at some point they said it's cancelled again. We're trying to rebook and they're saying they can't book us on."

[21 December 2018 22:48 · Peter Stubley]

Several newspapers are leading with drone-related stories tomorrow. The Telegraph suggests police are homing in on the identity of the drone operator, while The Times reports that transport secretary Chris Grayling shelved plans to regulate drone use in the UK before the recent attacks. The Daily Mail reports that the drone operators deliberately taunted police on Friday by flying over them and flashing their lights.

[21 December 2018 22:50 · Peter Stubley]

Here is our round-up of the day's events after passengers endured a third day of misery due to drone disruption at Gatwick.