quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:
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Per passenger "Staff had no idea what to do. If this had been a terror attack we'd all be dead".


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Live Police call in the Army to help deal with Gatwick chaos as drones cause runway to close - latest news
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Gatwick chaos as drones cause runway to close
Gatwick chaos as drones cause runway to close CREDIT: EDDIE MITCHELL
Gareth Davies Helena Horton
20 DECEMBER 2018 • 5:16PM
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Harry de Quetteville | Drones: fine line between toy and terror
The Army has been called in to help deal with the mayhem at Gatwick caused by drones flying near the airport.

Sussex Police formally requested the help of the military and a source told The Telegraph assistance could come in the form of helicopters, vans or soldiers on the ground.

Ministry of Defence officials held a meeting to discuss whether or not they needed to deploy, and how to do so, and shortly after on Thursday afternoon Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed the Army would be sent to West Sussex.

He said: "Sussex Police have requested assistance and support from the armed forces, and we'll be deploying the armed forces to give them the help that they need to be able to deal with the situation of the drones at Gatwick airport.

"It goes to demonstrate how our armed forces are always there, ready to support the civilian authorities."

Asked if he could reveal how the Army would respond, he added: "Sadly, at this moment it is not something we can actually reveal, but the armed forces have a range of unique capabilities and this isn't something that we would usually deploy, but we are there to assist and do everything we can so that they are in a position to open the airport at the earliest possible opportunity."

On Thursday morning, Lord West of Spithead, a retired senior officer of the Royal Navy, told the House of Lords on Thursday that the Army and GCHQ have developed the capability to both jam drones and over-ride their control systems enabling them to land the aircraft safely.

Talking to Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg, he said: "Our military and GCHQ have developed the ability to be able to identify the frequency very rapidly to actually be able to jam it or take control of the drone and land it.

"Is this ability being given more broadly to various airports? How is this being done?

"Because clearly we have not actually taken any action for a number of years to try and resolve this issue."


Thousands of passengers remain in limbo with the runway at Gatwick remaining closed on Thursday more than 16 hours after the first sighting of the drone was reported.

The deliberate nature of the disruption is likely to spark fears it is a coordinated attack on Britain's second-busiest airport.

Flights in and out of the airport were suspended at about 9pm on Wednesday after two drones were sighted near the airfield.

Gatwick announced that the runway had reopened at about 3am on Thursday - but just 45 minutes later it was shut again.

Vehicles check the runway surface at Gatwick
Vehicles check the runway surface at Gatwick CREDIT: PETER MACDIARMID/LNP
The airport's chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe admitted it could take several days to recover services, warning those responsible they could face five years in jail.

He blasted the "irresponsible" act, saying that up to 110,000 passengers could be affected by the mayhem caused by the drones.

Mr Woodroofe has spoken of his frustration that every time the airport is in a position to continue its services, a drone is spotted and the plans to get aircraft off the tarmac are forced to be scrapped.

He had said the situation would be re-assessed with a view to re-open at 8am, but at 7.40am, the airport said flights remained suspended "due to drone activity".

The re-opening time was then pushed back to 10am, then 11am, then midday and then 2pm before the Gatwick executive conceded he could not put a time on the end of the mayhem.

Sussex Police described it as "a deliberate act to disrupt the airport", but "there are absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror related".


The Telegraph
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@Telegraph
Replying to @Telegraph
Have you been affected by the closure of #Gatwick? Send your stories and videos through to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk

For updates follow our LIVE bloghttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/20/gatwick-chaos-drones-cause-flights-cancelled-live-updates/ …

6
04:36 - 20 Dec 2018
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A member of staff at Gatwick told The Telegraph at 12.20pm that a drone was spotted "within the past hour".

He said there were two drones which had been seen flying "over the perimeter fence and into where the runway operates from".

Mr Woodroofe added that the drones had sparked "very significant disruption for passengers" but that police did not want to shoot them down because of the risk from stray bullets.

Auto update

On
5:13pm
Countdown's Rachel Riley among those stranded
She, among others on her Thomas Cook flight, have been sent home for the evening. Passengers are waiting to find out whether they will be rebooked on a new flight - but after waiting all day it seems their patience is wearing thin.


Rachel Riley
✔
@RachelRileyRR
· 1h
Replying to @RachelRileyRR
They’ve finally given us some info. At least know we all know what’s going on now. Hope everyone gets to where they want to be for Christmas. @ThomasCookUK could’ve done a lot better communicating. Drones can’t be helped, keeping people up to date could have.


Rachel Riley
✔
@RachelRileyRR
Everyone sent home.
No news of if or when we’ll be rebooked.
Good luck to all the families trying to get away for Christmas.@ThomasCookUK #GatwickDrones

40
11:48 AM - Dec 20, 2018
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5:06pm
Gatwick will be closed until 10pm at the earliest
Eurocontrol keeps extending the time Gatwick will be shut until, the latest update is 10pm.

4:42pm
Culprits should face 'maximum possible sentence', Transport Secretary says
In an emailed statement, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is clearly a very serious ongoing incident in which substantial drones have been used to bring about the temporary closure of a major international airport.

"The people who were involved should face the maximum possible custodial sentence for the damage they have done.

"Government is doing everything it can to support Sussex police."

4:36pm
Gatwick drones situation is like 'kidnap' situation
EasyJet customer Andrea Tortora del Lacorte arrived at 5.30am for his flight from Gatwick to Naples at 7.10am, writes Phoebe Southworth at Gatwick.

The 25-year-old business lawyer from London said he got to the departure gates at the North Terminal but he and other passengers were then told every hour that their flights had been delayed.

He claims EasyJet staff refused to let passengers leave the departure lounge unless their flight had been cancelled.

Andrea said he called police and security because the incident was like a "kidnap" situation.

He said staff seemed "totally unprepared" for events such as these.

"If this had been a terrorist attack then we would all be dead," he said.

"We were not given any accurate information and they weren't allowing us to move.

"There was a woman with me who had medication she needed in her luggage.

"I feel totally frustrated. I just want to go home."

Andrea has now rebooked his flight to Naples for tomorrow travelling from Luton.

Frustrated passengers at Gatwick
Frustrated passengers at Gatwick CREDIT: GEOFF PUGH FOR THE TELEGRAPH
Easyjet told The Telegraph: “Following reports of drones flying over Gatwick Airport the runway is closed and all flights are currently suspended whilst investigations take place.

“We advise all customers flying to and from London Gatwick today to not travel to the airport if they are on flights which have been cancelled. Customers can check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker or via the app.

“We are making every effort to get people to their destination at this important time of the year. Customers on cancelled flights today, will be entitled to a free of charge transfer to an alternative flight and hotel accommodation if required. We will also reimburse any reasonable expenses incurred by passengers who arrange their own comparable alternative transport.

“Whilst the situation is outside of our control we would like to apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the diversions and resultant delays and cancellations.

“The safety of its passengers and crew is the airline’s highest priority.”

4:23pm
Defence Secretary confirms Army will be sent to Gatwick
Ministry of Defence officials held a meeting to discuss whether or not they needed to deploy, and how to do so, and shortly after on Thursday afternoon Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed the Army would be sent to West Sussex.

He said: "Sussex Police have requested assistance and support from the armed forces, and we'll be deploying the armed forces to give them the help that they need to be able to deal with the situation of the drones at Gatwick airport.

"It goes to demonstrate how our armed forces are always there, ready to support the civilian authorities.

Gavin Williamson leaving Downing Street
Gavin Williamson leaving Downing Street CREDIT: HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY
Asked if he could reveal how the Army would respond, he added: "Sadly, at this moment it is not something we can actually reveal, but the armed forces have a range of unique capabilities and this isn't something that we would usually deploy, but we are there to assist and do everything we can so that they are in a position to open the airport at the earliest possible opportunity."

4:13pm
Cross-Whitehall meeting of officials in response to Gatwick
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said a cross-Whitehall meeting of officials is taking place in response to the drone incident.

The meeting of officials, but not ministers, is taking place in the Cabinet Office and began at 3pm, the spokesman said.

Officials from the Department for Transport, Home Office, the police and the Civil Contingencies Secretariat are among those involved in the meeting.

4:10pm
Drone spotted above British Airways tower
At 3.10pm on Thursday, a drone was spotted above the British Airways tower at Gatwick, within the perimeter of the airport.

Between 11.20am and 12.20pm, there was another sighting understood to be within the no-fly zone at Gatwick but not directly above the runway.

Here are the known sightings so far:

9pm Wednesday
3.45am Thursday
7.40am Thursday
11.20am - 12.20pm Thursday
3.10pm Thursday
4:03pm
Army and GCHQ have capability to take control of drones
Lord West of Spithead, a a retired senior officer of the Royal Navy, told the House of Lords on Thursday that the Army and GCHQ have developed the capability to both jam drones or over-ride their control systems enabling them to land the aircraft safely.

Talking to Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg, he said: "Our military and GCHQ have developed the ability to be able to identify the frequency very rapidly to actually be able to jam it or take control of the drone and land it.

"Is this ability being given more broadly to various airports? How is this being done?

"Because clearly we have not actually taken any action for a number of years to try and resolve this issue."

3:29pm
Sussex Police call in The Army amid Gatwick drone chaos

Gareth Davies
@GD10
BREAKING: Sussex Police have formally requested the help of the Army to deal with the drones at Gatwick.

Source tells me it could come in the form of helicopters, vans or troops on the ground.

MoD officials currently in a meeting to discuss how/if to deploy.

9
10:26 - 20 Dec 2018
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3:07pm
Theresa May 'feels for' Gatwick passengers
Prime Minister Theresa May said the she feels for passengers who have had their travel disrupted.

She told a press conference at Lancaster House: "I feel for all those passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by this drone activity and the action that's had to be taken in response to it.

"Obviously at this particular time of year this is particularly difficult for people.

"We've already passed legislation in relation to the use of drones so it is now, as has been made clear, that the activity that we've seen is illegal and those who are caught endangering aircraft can face up to five years in prison.

Theresa May at the UK-Poland Inter-Governmental Consultations at Lancaster House, London, on Thursday
Theresa May at the UK-Poland Inter-Governmental Consultations at Lancaster House, London, on Thursday CREDIT: ADRIAN DENNIS/PA
"That's legislation we've already introduced and actually we're consulting on further aspects of this including for police powers, but we will continue to work with the Gatwick authorities and police will be working with the Gatwick authorities in order to bring this to a close, such that people will be able to get on to the travel that they were expecting over the Christmas period."

2:31pm
Runway still unavailable, almost 18 hours after first drone sighting
Gatwick said in a statement: "Gatwick Airport's runway remains unavailable because of drone sightings.

"We have advised all airlines to cancel flights up to at least 4pm this afternoon, while keeping the situation under constant review.

"There is significant disruption at Gatwick and our terminals are extremely busy.

"We are prioritising the welfare of passengers during this very difficult time, and have teams across the airport looking after them as best we can.

"We anticipate disruption to continue throughout the day and into tomorrow.

"Any passengers due to fly today or tomorrow should not set off for Gatwick without checking flight information with their airline.

"We are extremely disappointed that what appears to be deliberate action is affecting journeys at this important time of year.

"We are working tirelessly with our airlines to put plans in place to recover our operation once given the go-ahead that our runway can reopen.

"Once again we apologise for the continued disruption. Safety is our absolute priority."

1:58pm
Police on airport roof scanning skies for drones
Police officers are now stationed on the roof of Gatwick Airport police station, scanning the skies for any sign of a drone, reports Jack Hardy.

Police on the roof at Gatwick
Police on the roof at Gatwick
Next to the officers sat what appeared to be a high-tech spectrum analyser, which detects changes in frequency - such as that caused by an approaching drone.

It raises the possibility that jammers could be deployed to bring down the device in the air.

1:25pm
Gatwick to remain closed until safe, says Detective Superintendent
Detective Superintendent Juliet Parker of Sussex and Surrey Police told the BBC: "We've committed a lot of resources to this. Progress may seem like it is slow, but we are doing everything we can with Gatwick to resolve this with the safety of the public absolutely paramount."

When asked whether the airport would be open soon she said: "At the moment, until we can guarantee it's absolutely safe, then this is the right thing to do at this time."

1:04pm
Other British airports remain on standby to take in Gatwick flights
Airports across Britain remain on standby to take in more diverted flights if the disruption at Gatwick continues.

A Stansted Airport spokesman said that their operations have not been impacted by the disruption at Gatwick.

The airport took in 11 flights diverted from West Sussex, the last of which landed at 1.20am.

"Obviously the people on those flights have been affected, but in terms of the impact on us, there has been none.

"It came at a time when the schedule was not as busy."

Flights were also diverted to Heathrow, and a spokeswoman told The Telegraph: “As a result of the drone sightings at Gatwick Airport we have received some diverted flights, however Heathrow is operating as normal and will fly its full schedule.

"In response to events at Gatwick, we have increased patrols around our airport and would like to remind the public that unauthorised use of a drone around an airport can carry a custodial sentence of up to five years.”

Eight flights in total were diverted to Luton Airport from Gatwick, the last of which being a Wow Air flight from Iceland on Thursday morning.

A spokesman told The Telegraph there had been no significant disruption, but conceded there had been delays to some flights.

"But that's not unexpected given the time of year. Obviously the longer it continues, the bigger the knock-on effect.

"Schedules are going to be overrun, crew and aircraft are going to be in the wrong places and people will have worked their overtime, so our advice is to check with the airline."

Cardiff Airport also took eight flights - four from Easyjet in the early hours and four from British Airways on Thursday morning, the latest landing at 9.34am.

A spokeswoman said it was in close contact with air traffic control and was on standby to take more diversions if needed.

"It's a fluid situation, but our normal services are running as normal and have not been affected," she told The Telegraph.

12:40pm
Airport recovery will take 'several days'
Gatwick's chief operating officer, Chris Woodroofe, confirmed a recent drone sighting and said disruption would continue for several days.

He told BBC News: "There are 110,000 passengers due to fly today, and the vast majority of those will see cancellations and disruption.

"We have had within the last hour another drone sighting so at this stage we are not open and I cannot tell you what time we will open.

Airport recovery will take 'several days'
Airport recovery will take 'several days' CREDIT: TIM IRELAND/AP
"It was on the airport, seen by the police and corroborated. So having seen that drone that close to the runway it was unsafe to reopen.

"Realistically if we do reopen today, what the airlines will seek to do is deal with the passengers who are on site and to prepare for an operation tomorrow morning where we repatriate passengers who are in the wrong place.

"It's realistically going to take several days to recover."

12:34pm
Armed officers spotted on the runway at Gatwick
Armed police are seen next to the runway at Gatwick airport as the hunt for a drone operator continues
Armed police are seen next to the runway at Gatwick airport as the hunt for a drone operator continues CREDIT: LNP/PETER MACDIARMID


12:33pm
Drone spotted at Gatwick 'within the past hour'
A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said another sighting of the drone had been reported "within the past hour" when asked for an update at 12.20pm, reports Jack Hardy at Gatwick.

It is understood the drone did not enter the perimeter of the airport but was seen nearby.

Shortly after 11am there was a flurry of police activity centred on one of the country lanes near the airport.

Around round six police vehicles including a van and a dog unit descended on Bonnetts Lane, apparently directed by a helicopter hovering overhead.

One officer could be seen shrugging as he emerged from farmland along the road. It is unclear if they were responding to the latest sighting.

12:27pm
Aviation minister faces calls for stricter drone controls
In the Lords, Lady Sugg faced calls from the Liberal Democrats for more stringent controls on drones and denied claims by Labour that the Government had been "dragging its feet" on the issue.

Lady Sugg said the disruption was extensive and the police operation was ongoing, adding that anyone endangering an aircraft could face up to five years in jail.

She said the Government "absolutely need to make sure that we introduce new laws to ensure drones are used safely and responsibly" after tougher controls were brought in earlier this year.

But Labour's Lord Harris of Haringey said the Government had repeatedly "dragged its feet" on the introduction of technology ensuring drones could be disabled and brought safely to the ground.

Lady Sugg denied being complacent on the issue, insisting the Government had taken clear action this year by introducing exclusion zones and consulting on extending police powers.

12:15pm
Police believe drones are of ' industrial specification'
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Sussex Police
✔
@sussex_police
#GatwickDrones | The #drone image in our previous tweets was used for illustrative purposes only and not the devices being sought. It is believed that the #Gatwick devices used are of an industrial specification. We are continuing to search for the operators

141
07:02 - 20 Dec 2018
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11:48am
Drone acts 'irresponsible and completely unacceptable', PM says
Theresa May's official spokesman said that the drone activity at Gatwick was "irresponsible and completely unacceptable".

He added: "These drones have been flown illegally and the law couldn't be clearer that those found endangering aircraft could face up to five years in jail.

"We are in close contact with Gatwick Airport as they work with police to safely resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

11:39am
Have there been drone incidents at airports in the past?
According to the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), there were already 117 near misses between manned aircraft and drones up until November this year, compared to 93 for the whole of 2017.

This is not the first time an incident involving drones has been reported at London Gatwick.

In October, it was reported that a drone "put 130 lives at risk" after nearly hitting an aircraft approaching the airport over the summer.

According to the UK Airprox Board, the flying gadget passed directly over the right wing of the Airbus A319 as it was preparing to land at the West Sussex airport in July.

Also in October, a drone collided with a commercial aircraft as it was approaching to land in Canada.

There were six passengers and two crew on the aircraft and the drone connected with its wing, but fortunately it suffered only minor damage, allowing it to land safely at Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City.

11:36am
Misery at Gatwick continues: in pictures
People sleep on airport benches
People sleep on airport benches CREDIT: EDDIE MITCHELL
Stranded passengers forced to sleep on their luggage
Stranded passengers forced to sleep on their luggage CREDIT: EDDIE MITCHELL
A police helicopter on the runway at Gatwick airport
A police helicopter on the runway at Gatwick airport CREDIT: LNP/PETER MACDIARMID
Birds fly near the runway as four vehicles check the surface at Gatwick
Birds fly near the runway as four vehicles check the surface at Gatwick CREDIT: LNP/PETER MACDIARMID


11:15am
Flights suspended until at least 2pm, airport staff say
All flights at Gatwick Airport are suspended until 2pm, reports Phoebe Southworth at Gatwick.

Airport staff are waiting for clearance from police and the aviation authorities that flights can resume.

It is expected to take at least an hour between the drone being removed from above the runway and planes being able to Ieave.

Kalim, 44, from London, was supposed to fly to Hurghada, Egypt, with 17 other family members for a one-week holiday.

"We're all very stressed because my sister has heart problems and my dad is 88 years old and in a wheelchair," he said.

"Luckily we didn't check in our bags. We're going to try to find an alternative route now."

He and his large group are waiting at Gatwick a North Terminal while they plan their next steps.

10:48am
Police plead for help and suggest there is more than one culprit
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Sussex Police
✔
@sussex_police
#GatwickDrones | We are appealing for information to help us identify the operators of the #Gatwick #drones. If you know who's responsible or have any information please call 999 and quote ref 1350-19/12. Please RT

585
5:39 AM - Dec 20, 2018
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10:33am
Police playing cat and mouse with drone
Sussex Police have been chasing shadows for 10 hours in an attempt to restore service at Gatwick airport.

Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw Gatwick Airport policing commander said every time they get near the drone, it disappears.

And then when they try to re-open the runway, it re-appears.

He said: "We believe this to be a deliberate act to disrupt the airport. However, there are absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror related."

The Sussex force said the first report was made shortly after 9pm Wednesday and the last sighting around 8.45am on Thursday.

Officers from Sussex and Surrey, and a police helicopter, are patrolling the airfield and surrounding areas to try to find the drones and the operators.

A police helicopter searching for the drone
A police helicopter searching for the drone CREDIT: PETE SUMMERS/PA
Mr Burtenshaw said he was "absolutely convinced it's a deliberate act to disrupt Gatwick Airport".

"We're still getting sightings of a drone in and around the airfield," he told BBC News.

"I've got over 20 units from Surrey and Sussex, and from the airport, searching for the drone operator to try to locate him, and we're exploring other options at the moment to try to bring this situation to a close."

Asked if was a deliberate act, Mr Burtenshaw said: "Absolutely. This has been going on for 10 hours now. Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears. I'm absolutely convinced it's a deliberate act to disrupt Gatwick Airport."

He added there had been no intelligence this was going to happen, saying it was "a random act that's happened overnight".

Asked if he thought the operator would be caught, he said: "I'm convinced we will. It's a painstaking thing with the new drones - the bigger the drone, the bigger the reach of the operator, so it's a difficult and challenging thing to locate them, but I've got teams now and I've got investigators looking at how we do that, and I'm confident we will."

10:25am
Passenger 'lies about being a terrorist' to get off stranded plane
A passenger on one of the planes affected by the drone disruption claimed a fellow flyer decided to lie about being a terrorist in order to get off the flight:

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Lyndsey Clarke
@LyndseyClarke10
So Gatwick is shut due to drones so our flight TOM687 has been diverted to Stansted,so far we've been stuck on our plane for 4 hours.. a man has opened the plane door and put everyone at risk & then another guy says he's a terrorist Living pure hell right now

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
^^^^
Rhino, you are a bastard