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Gatwick drones: Army withdrawn from airport | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
"Military capability" deployed to counter illegal drone flights at Gatwick Airport has been withdrawn, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. | "Military capability" deployed to counter illegal drone flights at Gatwick Airport has been withdrawn, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. |
The Army was deployed as hundreds of flights were cancelled on 20 December following repeated drone sightings. | The Army was deployed as hundreds of flights were cancelled on 20 December following repeated drone sightings. |
Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks, but would not comment on the nature of the system. | Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks, but would not comment on the nature of the system. |
Sussex Police said no arrests had been made since a couple were released without charge on 23 December. | |
More than 140,000 passengers were affected by about 1,000 cancellations and delays during the 36 hours of chaos. | |
People reported being stuck on planes for hours, missing family holidays, job interviews and finding themselves landing at a different airport to expected. | |
Police said at the time that attempts to catch whoever was controlling the drones were "painstaking" because "each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears". | |
The drones were first spotted on the Wednesday evening and the knock-on effects from so many cancelled flights meant delays continued into the weekend. | |
A suggestion by a senior Sussex police officer that there may have been no drones was later dismissed as a "miscommunication". | A suggestion by a senior Sussex police officer that there may have been no drones was later dismissed as a "miscommunication". |
The force said it was investigating "relevant sightings" from 115 witnesses - 93 of whom it described as "credible" - including airport staff, police officers and a pilot. | The force said it was investigating "relevant sightings" from 115 witnesses - 93 of whom it described as "credible" - including airport staff, police officers and a pilot. |
Chief Constable Giles York had said some of the drones spotted may have belonged to the police and caused confusion. | Chief Constable Giles York had said some of the drones spotted may have belonged to the police and caused confusion. |
However, he said he was "absolutely certain" that there was a drone flying near the runway during the disruption. | However, he said he was "absolutely certain" that there was a drone flying near the runway during the disruption. |
The MoD said: "The military capability has now been withdrawn from Gatwick. The armed forces stand ever-ready to assist should a request for support be received." |