Inside job. Suspicion grows that drone operators who shut down Gatwick airport had inside knowledge
The police have no new lines of inquiry, as their investigation into who was behind the drone disruption at Gatwick airport last Christmas petters out
And suspicion is growing that the disruption was an inside job, after the police report said that people with “detailed knowledge” of Gatwick used two drones to shut down the airport for 30 hours.
Days before Christmas, Gatwick airport had to take the unprecedented decision to close its single runway over a three day period, after drones were spotted. Every time attempts were made to re-open the runaway, drones appeared once again.
Multiple sightings
The multiple appearances of a number of mysterious drones delayed the Christmas get away of 140,000 passengers and disrupted 1,000 flights.
Despite an extensive police search and the use of military systems, as well as £50,000 reward, the unidentified drone operators were not caught.
A couple were arrested, but were released without charge. The police also reportedly carried out 1,200 house-to-house inquiries and took 222 witness statements in a police operation costing £790,000.
According to the Guardian newspaper, during the drone attack at the airport, Sussex police received 129 sightings of drone activity, with 109 of these from “credible” witnesses including a pilot, plus workers and police at the airport.
