POLICE have arrested a man and a woman after rogue drone operators crippled London’s Gatwick Airport for three days by repeatedly flying onto the airfield, sparking a major security response. Britain’s second-largest airport was back in operation Saturday after it was forced to close its runway in the run up to Christmas when drones flew near the site south of London in the most disruptive incursion from unmanned aerial vehicles at any major airport. Police said they had made two arrests late Friday, a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman who were from the local area. They remained in custody Saturday on suspicion of disrupting civil aviation services. No group has claimed responsibility for the disruption, which forced the cancellation or diversion of around 1,000 flights, affecting 140,000 passengers over three days. The airport shut its runway for spells Wednesday and Friday and for all of Thursday. The pre-Christmas travel disruption began late Wednesday when Gatwick was forced to cancel all flights after spotting small drones near the airfield. Every time the airport sought to reopen the runway Thursday, the drones returned. Authorities finally regained control over the airfield after the army deployed unidentified military technology to guard the area, reassuring the airport that it was safe enough to fly. (SD-Agencies) |