Gatwick Airport, Britain’s second-largest air hub, reopened at 6 a.m. on Friday after being shut for more than 32 hours amid dozens of sightings of drones flying illegally in the runway area, in what officials described as a “deliberate act” that disrupted air travel and left 120,000 passengers stranded. As the police continued to hunt for the culprit, or culprits, behind the incursions — with the last sighting coming at 9:52 p.m. Thursday — officials at the airport, south of London, many of the 837 arrivals and departures scheduled for Friday were subject to delays and cancellations. The episode provided the starkest evidence to date of how vulnerable airports across the world are to drones, which are widely available, loosely regulated and more advanced in their technology than equipment meant to guard against the risks they pose. The authorities reiterated on Friday that they had increased the numbers of officers involved in the criminal investigation, but they still could not promise that the airport would remain open.

Source: New York Times December 21, 2018 07:26 UTC