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BRITAIN-AIRPORT-DRONE-RELEASE
Pair freed without charge in London airport drones probe
LONDON, Dec 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A man and a woman arrested over the drone
disruption that brought Christmas getaway flights to a standstill at London’s
Gatwick Airport were released without charge on Sunday, police said.
A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from the town of Crawley, near
Britain’s second-busiest airport, were arrested on Saturday.
The police swooped after three days of disruption from Wednesday to Friday,
affecting 140,000 passengers.
“Both people have fully co-operated with our enquiries and I am satisfied
that they are no longer suspects in the drone incidents at Gatwick,” Sussex
Police detective chief superintendent Jason Tingley said in a statement.
Drones were sighted buzzing around the airfield more than 50 times,
forcing the government to bring in specialist military resources to help
counter the threat.
The dangers posed by drones include the possibility of a device smashing
into a passenger plane or being sucked up into an engine where its highly
flammable lithium battery could cause a catastrophe.
“Our inquiry continues at a pace to locate those responsible for the drone
incursions, and we continue to actively follow lines of investigation,” said
Tingley.
“We ask for the public’s continued support by reporting anything
suspicious, contacting us with any information in relation to the drone
incidents at Gatwick.”
The airport has offered a o50,000 ($63,000, 56,000 euro) reward for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the
disruption.
Under recently-introduced laws in Britain, drones cannot be flown near
aircraft or within a kilometre (about half a mile) of an airport, or at an
altitude of over 400 feet (122 metres).
Violators face up to five years in prison for endangering an aircraft.
Gatwick, around 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of the British capital, is
the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world’s
busiest single-runway air hub.
On its website, Gatwick said its runway was open and it aimed to run a full
schedule over the weekend.
Passengers were warned to expect some delays and cancellations as their
airport tried to recover its operations.
“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 said.
BSS/AFP/RY/1748 hrs