The
United Kingdom's second-biggest airport has been closed for more than
19 hours in an unprecedented disruption caused by drone sightings, which
police have described as a "deliberate act." London's Gatwick Airport
has been closed since 9 p.m. on Wednesday Dec 19th after drones were
spotted near the airfield and as at Thursday afternoon, police were
still on the hunt for the drone operators who have brought the airport
to a standstill, causing travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of
passengers just days before Christmas. "Each time we believe we get
close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the
airfield, the drone reappears," Sussex Police Superintendent Justin
Burtenshaw told the UK's Press Association. The Ministry of Defence said
on Thursday evening that it had deployed specialist equipment to assist
Sussex Police in their efforts. It is illegal to fly drones within 1
kilometer (0.6 miles) of a UK airfield boundary, with perpetrators
facing up to five years in prison. There is no indication the incident
at Gatwick is terror-related, local Sussex Police said adding that 20
police units from two forces were searching for the drone operators.London's Gatwick airport shuts down for over 20-hours after strange sightings of unknown drones
The
United Kingdom's second-biggest airport has been closed for more than
19 hours in an unprecedented disruption caused by drone sightings, which
police have described as a "deliberate act." London's Gatwick Airport
has been closed since 9 p.m. on Wednesday Dec 19th after drones were
spotted near the airfield and as at Thursday afternoon, police were
still on the hunt for the drone operators who have brought the airport
to a standstill, causing travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of
passengers just days before Christmas. "Each time we believe we get
close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the
airfield, the drone reappears," Sussex Police Superintendent Justin
Burtenshaw told the UK's Press Association. The Ministry of Defence said
on Thursday evening that it had deployed specialist equipment to assist
Sussex Police in their efforts. It is illegal to fly drones within 1
kilometer (0.6 miles) of a UK airfield boundary, with perpetrators
facing up to five years in prison. There is no indication the incident
at Gatwick is terror-related, local Sussex Police said adding that 20
police units from two forces were searching for the drone operators.
