Gatwick Airport chaos as drone forces closure of runway and diversion of at least four flights
Fears of a near miss as drone sightings spark runway closure and police probe
A DRONE sparked chaos at Gatwick Airport where a runway was shut down twice last night, causing the diversion of at least four flights.
An airport spokesman said the runway was closed for two periods after sightings were reported just after 6pm.
Three incoming EasyJet flights were sent to different airports over safety fears, while British Airways diverted one of its flights to Bournemouth. More flights from other carriers may have been affected.
One passenger told The Sun how their flight was coming in to land when at the last minute it dramatically veered away from the tarmac.
Lorraine Sharp was on a delayed flight from Toulouse that circled over Gatwick before heading down towards the runway.
"Just before touching down all of a sudden we shot back up into the air", she said.
"The pilot said he made the decision to abort because of an 'operational issue'. They didn't tell us what had happened until we landed — that there was a drone near the runway.
"It was really hairy", she added. "The penalties for [illegal drone pilots] need to be tougher. Presumably it's not easy to put anti-drone measures around airports, otherwise it would have been done by now, but something needs to happen".
Just before touching down all of a sudden we shot back up into the air
Lorraine Sharp
An EasyJet spokesperson said: “EasyJet can confirm that as a result of an earlier runway closure at London Gatwick Airport three flights were diverted.
"Once refuelled EasyJet plans to continue these flights onto London Gatwick.
“The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always EasyJet's highest priority.
“While the circumstances are outside of our control, EasyJet apologises for any inconvenience caused.”
The runway was closed between 6:10pm and 6:19pm and again just minutes later between 6:36pm and 6:41pm, an airport spokesman confirmed.
Police are investigating over fears of a potential near miss, they added.
EasyJet flight EZY8534 from Naples was diverted to London Stansted, EZY8832 from Bodrum was sent to London Southend and EZY8186 from Milan Linate diverted to Bournemouth.
Among the passengers on the diverted flights was Holly Johnson, the ex-front man of Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
He wrote on Twitter: "A Drone on the flightpath into Gatwick: our @British_Airways flight diverted to Bournemouth. On the Tarmac waiting ... for an update".
Craig Jenkins, who was on board the EasyJet flight from Naples, told the BBC: "We were crossing over the Channel and it started circling.
"It did four or five circles, heading further east, before the captain said we were landing at Stansted.
"First, they said Gatwick was closed because of an incident. Then, shortly after, they said it was a drone."
Speaking from the runway at Stansted, he added: "There are lots of babies on this flight. I feel for the parents."
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Departing flights to Naples, Belfast, Stokholm and Oslo were delayed.
Grounded passengers took to twitter to vent their anger.
One wrote: "Whoever's flying their drone around Gatwick... please collect it and go home".
Another said: "Stuck in Gatwick waiting for my 7:05pm flight to Belfast, delayed until 1015pm departure."
A Drone on the flightpath into Gatwick: our @British_Airways flight diverted to Bournemouth. On the Tarmac waiting ... for an update
Holly Johnson
Last week it was revealed that a drone came within just a METRE of striking a plane landing at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport.
The April incident was reported as UK Airprox Board, which promotes air safety, said there were as many as many 22 similar near-misses in the first four months of 2017 alone.
The current maximum fine for piloting a drone into a no-fly zone like an airport or prison is £2,500.
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