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Gatwick Airport Reopens After Drone-Related Disruption Gatwick Airport Reopens After ‘Deliberate’ Drone-Related Disruptions
(35 minutes later)
Gatwick Airport, Britain’s second-largest air hub, reopened early Friday after being shut for more than 32 hours amid multiple sightings of drones flying illegally in the runway area, in what officials described as a “deliberate act” meant to disrupt air travel that did just that for 120,000 stranded passengers. Gatwick Airport, Britain’s second-largest air hub, reopened at 6 a.m. on Friday after being shut for more than 32 hours amid multiple sightings of drones flying illegally in the runway area, in what officials described as a “deliberate act” that disrupted air travel for 120,000 stranded passengers.
As the authorities continuing to hunt for the culprit, or culprits, behind the incursions, airport officials said the 700 arrivals and departures scheduled for Friday were not likely to go as planned. As of about 8:30 a.m., 100 flights had been canceled. As the authorities continued to hunt for the culprit, or culprits, behind the incursions — with the last sighting coming at 9:52 p.m. Thursday — officials at the airport, south of London said the 700 arrivals and departures scheduled for Friday would probably be subject to delays and cancellations.
Chris Woodroofe, chief operating officer for Gatwick Airport, told the BBC on Friday that the airport was taking extra steps to protect air travel. The episode provided the starkest evidence to date of how vulnerable airports across the world are to drones, which are widely available, loosely regulated and more advanced in their technology than equipment meant to guard against the risks they pose.
“We have been working overnight with the police, with a number of government agencies and with the military to put in place additional mitigating measures,” he said, declining to provide details. As of about 8:30 a.m., 100 flights had been canceled and there was a heightened military and police presence around the airport. The discount airline easyJet, which like other airlines warned passengers to confirm the status of their flight before leaving for the airport, said that runway movements had been ”restricted to a limited number per hour.” It did not provide details.
The shutdown — which, except for one 45-minute stretch, ran from 9 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Friday — scrambled hundreds of flights, stranded tens of thousands of passengers and reduced the British government to playing cat-and-mouse with the rogue drones. Chris Woodroofe, chief operating officer for Gatwick Airport, told the BBC that the airport was taking extra steps to protect air travel. “We have been working overnight with the police, with a number of government agencies and with the military to put in place additional mitigating measures,” he said, declining to provide details.
About 20 police units searched the perimeter of the airfield on Thursday for the devices’ operators. By nightfall, the government said it would deploy the military in a bid to reopen the airport, although it was not clear what role it would play. The police in Sussex said they had teamed up with law enforcement agencies from nearby Surrey and greater London as well as the military to mitigate further threats, but noted that the opening of the runway remained under “constant review.”
The episode was proving not only a humiliation for aviation officials but also the starkest evidence to date of how vulnerable airports across the world are to the readily available flying devices. The shutdown — which, except for one 45-minute stretch, ran from 9 p.m. Wednesday until Friday morning — disrupted hundreds of flights, stranded tens of thousands of passengers and reduced British authorities to playing cat-and-mouse with the rogue drones.
About 20 police units searched the perimeter of the airfield on Thursday for the devices’ operators. By nightfall, the government said it would deploy the military in a bid to reopen the airport, although it was not clear in what capacity.
“Over 90 percent of airports in the world are unprepared for drones,” said Tim Bean, the founder and chief executive of Fortem Technologies, which is testing a drone defense system on several American runways.“Over 90 percent of airports in the world are unprepared for drones,” said Tim Bean, the founder and chief executive of Fortem Technologies, which is testing a drone defense system on several American runways.
Chris Grayling, Britain’s transportation minister, acknowledged as much in an interview with the BBC on Friday. Chris Grayling, Britain’s transportation minister, acknowledged as much in an interview with the BBC on Friday. “We’re going to have to learn very quickly from what’s happened,” Mr. Grayling said, describing the episode as “unprecedented, anywhere in the world.”
“We’re going to have to learn very quickly from what’s happened,” Mr. Grayling said, describing the episode as “unprecedented, anywhere in the world.” He told the BBC that security officials had matters in hand, and that the airport would not reopen unless officials believed there would be no further disruptions. He added that security was being increased at the country’s other airports to prevent similar drone incursions. He told the BBC that security officials had matters in hand, and that the airport would not have reopened if officials did not believe there would be further disruptions. He added that security was being increased at the country’s other airports to prevent similar drone incursions.
The police in Sussex, outside London, were combing through hundreds of tips that had come in since Thursday, and said on Twitter that they were focusing their investigation on the “identity or location of the #drone operator.” They said there were “no indications to suggest this is terror related.” Mr. Grayling also responded to questions about why a drone could not just be shot down by noting that the authorities’ ability to respond in such cases was limited.
Airport employees first spotted a pair of drones flying over the perimeter fence and into the runway area around 9 p.m. Wednesday. The devices reappeared Thursday morning, and the police searched the perimeter of the airfield for the drones’ operators. “You can’t just fire weapons haphazardly in what is a built-up area around the airport, because there are consequences if that goes wrong,” Mr. Grayling said. “They have to take steps that are doable and safe.”
The ability of a relatively small drone to shut down a huge part of infrastructure serving a large city like London has raised questions about the regulations in place to deal with these small machines, particularly as ownership of drones proliferates. The police said late Thursday night that “the deployment of firearms teams provides us with a range of tactical options,” but did not provide further details.
The last 36 hours have demonstrated that there is “an awful lot more work that needs to be done across the U.K. and internationally to address the risk of drones to airports,” Mr. Woodroofe said. “ The reality is that, as we sit here today, there is no commercial solution that’s licensed to operate at airports that’s proven, and so you’re absolutely right — we have called in government agencies and the military to assist us in getting Gatwick Airport back open again to counteract this unprecedented event, this criminal act.” They have been combing through hundreds of tips that had come in since Thursday, and said on Twitter that they were focusing their investigation on the “identity or location of the #drone operator.” They said there were “no indications to suggest this is terror related” and no evidence on anyone having unauthorized access to the airfield.
Gatwick employees first spotted a pair of drones flying over the perimeter fence and into the runway area around 9 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. The devices reappeared Thursday morning, and the police searched the perimeter for the drones’ operators.
Gatwick is London’s second biggest airport, behind Heathrow, but it is busy by any relative measure, with hundreds of flights a day to destinations all around the world. Planes bound for Gatwick were diverted to other British airports, as well as Amsterdam and Paris, and the disruptions in London caused ripple effects all over Europe.
The ability of relatively small drones to shut down a huge part of infrastructure serving a large city like London has raised questions about the measures in place to deal with the small machines.
As ownership of the devices has increased, the potential for run-ins with aircraft has also risen. Britain passed laws this year to make it illegal for a drone to fly higher than 400 feet or to fly within a kilometer of an airport, about six-tenths of a mile.
The lengthy closing of the airport during a peak travel season highlighted how rapidly developing technology could allow someone so inclined to bring institutions and infrastructure to a standstill with relatively few resources.
“The impact of a lot of internet and consumer technology has massively increased the capabilities of people who would have historically had to be well funded and organized,” said Chris Yiu, a senior fellow for technology at the Tony Blair Institute, said in an interview on Thursday. “That’s no longer the case.”
Mr. Woodroofe, Gatwick’s general manager, said in his interview with the BBC on Friday that the episode had demonstrated that there was “an awful lot more work that needs to be done across the U.K. and internationally to address the risk of drones to airports.”
Although new technology has been tested and a company in the Netherlands has even trained eagles to hunt for drones, there is not a global standard for managing the potential risk posed by the devices.
“The reality is that, as we sit here today, there is no commercial solution that’s licensed to operate at airports that’s proven, and so you’re absolutely right — we have called in government agencies and the military to assist us in getting Gatwick Airport back open again to counteract this unprecedented event, this criminal act,” Mr. Woodroofe added.