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Gatwick drones: Two arrested over flight disruption | Gatwick drones: Two arrested over flight disruption |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with a string of drone sightings which brought Gatwick Airport to a standstill. | A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with a string of drone sightings which brought Gatwick Airport to a standstill. |
Sussex Police said the pair were arrested in the area at about 22:00 GMT on Friday. | Sussex Police said the pair were arrested in the area at about 22:00 GMT on Friday. |
Flights were grounded for more than a day affecting around 140,000 passengers after drones were seen near the runway. | |
Investigations into "criminal use of drones" continued, police said, as they appealed to the public for information. | Investigations into "criminal use of drones" continued, police said, as they appealed to the public for information. |
The airport said its runway would be open on Saturday, with an "aim to run a full schedule" of 757 flights carrying 124,484 passengers. | |
But a spokesman added: "Passengers should expect some delays and cancellations as we continue to recover our operations following three days of disruption." | |
They also urged passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport. | |
Supt James Collis said officers remained at Gatwick, ready to "detect and mitigate" further drone flights by deploying a range of tactics. | Supt James Collis said officers remained at Gatwick, ready to "detect and mitigate" further drone flights by deploying a range of tactics. |
He asked passengers and people living nearby to remain vigilant and report any suspicions. | He asked passengers and people living nearby to remain vigilant and report any suspicions. |
"Every line of inquiry will remain open to us until we are confident that we have mitigated further threats to the safety of passengers," he added. | "Every line of inquiry will remain open to us until we are confident that we have mitigated further threats to the safety of passengers," he added. |
Gatwick reopened on Friday morning, although the runway was closed again for a short time after a further confirmed sighting at 17:10. | |
Around 1,000 aircraft have been cancelled or diverted since Wednesday night. | |
A spokeswoman for the airport said military measures put in place at the airfield made it safe to reopen. | A spokeswoman for the airport said military measures put in place at the airfield made it safe to reopen. |
Eleven inbound flights were diverted to other airports during the latest suspension and, while outbound flights would experience a "knock-on delay", none had been cancelled, she said. | Eleven inbound flights were diverted to other airports during the latest suspension and, while outbound flights would experience a "knock-on delay", none had been cancelled, she said. |
However, the BBC has been contacted by people claiming their flights were cancelled. | However, the BBC has been contacted by people claiming their flights were cancelled. |
A small number of flights due to arrive into Gatwick on Saturday were cancelled, according to the airport's website. | |
They include an Easyjet service from Milan and a TUI flight from Barbados. | |
A Gatwick spokesman said: "Safety is Gatwick's top priority and we are grateful for passengers' continued patience as we work to get them to their final destination in time for Christmas." | |
Have you been affected by the suspension of flights at Gatwick Airport? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you been affected by the suspension of flights at Gatwick Airport? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or use the form below | Or use the form below |