Gatwick drone arrests: man and woman held over disruption of airport

Passengers wait at Gatwick airport on Friday. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

(The Guardian) – Two arrests have made in relation to ‘criminal use of drones’, police say, as authorities say runway is open on Saturday

A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the “criminal use of drones” which has caused widespread disruption to flights at Gatwick airport, police have said.

In a statement released in the early hours of Saturday, Sussex police said the arrests were made in Gatwick area just after 10pm on Friday night.

Two arrested as Gatwick reopens following latest drone sighting

Gatwick airport said on Saturday morning that it was open for flights but urged passengers to check with their airline before travelling.

“Our runway is open and we aim to run a full schedule – 757 flights scheduled today, carrying 124,484 passengers,” a 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.”

The airport was plunged into chaos on Wednesday night when drones spotted hovering near the runway forced hundreds of flights to be cancelled, delaying and stranding thousands of passengers.

Police and military experts were deployed to search for the operators of the drones, which reappeared near the airport every time the authorities tried to reopen the runways.

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