Police Arrest Two in Gatwick Airport Drone Investigation
Closing of the runway at Britain's second largest airport because of the drones disrupted flights and affected hundreds of thousands of passengers
British police have arrested a man and a woman in connection with the drone incursions that have hampered operations at Gatwick Airport for three days. No other information about the detainees has been released. Sussex police said in a statement early Saturday that the arrests were made late Friday. The statement said the investigation is "still ongoing and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics." The closing down of the runway at Britain's second largest airport because of the drones has disrupted flights and has affected hundreds of thousands of passengers. Gatwick shut down late Wednesday after the first drone sightings and reopened on a limited basis Friday. By Friday afternoon, however, flights were suspended again, following reports of additional drone sightings. Later Friday, the airport's runway reopened. Sussex Police Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw said the number of drone sightings at Gatwick has been "unprecedented." Gatwick, 45 kilometers (29 miles) south of London, is Britain's second largest airport.Its shutdowns have affected flights at London's main airport, Heathrow, as well as other hubs across Europe. More than 43 million passengers a year travel through Gatwick.