Britain’s Gatwick airport has reopened after a rogue drone saboteur wrought travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of Christmas travellers by playing cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army.
After the biggest disruption at Gatwick airport since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Britain’s second-busiest airport said on Friday its runway was open and that a limited number of aircraft were scheduled for departure and arrival.
“Gatwick’s runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival,” the airport said.
“Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport as departures and arrivals will be subject to delays and cancellations.”
Gatwick said 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there would still be delays and cancellations.
Britain deployed unidentified military technology to guard the airport against what the UK’s Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said were thought to be several drones.
“What’s happening on the ground is a mix of measures taken to give confidence that aircraft can be safe. Some of those are military capabilities,” Grayling told BBC television.
Grayling said there was not yet “a straightforward commercial, off-the-shelf solution that automatically solves all problems.”
Thousands of passengers remain stranded at the airport, south of the capital, London, as police continue to hunt for the operators of the large drones, which reappeared near the airfield on Wednesday and Thursday.
Police said there was no indication of a terrorist motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night.
Police and airport authorities believe the drones, which were spotted near the airfield more than 50 times over a 24-hour period, were being flown in a deliberate act to disrupt the airport.
The spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the standoff as “irresponsible and completely unacceptable”.
Passenger Ani Kochiashvili had been bound for Georgia but spent six hours overnight sitting on a plane with her children.
“I’m very annoyed because I’m with two kids, a three-month-old and three-year-old,” Al Jazeera reported by phone among thousands camped in the terminal.
“They require a lot of space and food and changing and all that, and the airport is crazy busy so it’s challenging.”
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