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Drones shut down London’s Gatwick Airport

Tens of thousands of stuck passengers wait at the North Terminal at London Gatwick Airport just days before Christmas. (AFP)
Updated 20 December 2018
AP
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Drones shut down London’s Gatwick Airport

  • There have been occasional reports of drones nearly hitting commercial airliners in the London area in recent years
  • Gatwick is a busy airport 27 miles south of central London
Updated 20 December 2018
AP

LONDON: London’s Gatwick Airport remains shut while police and airport officials investigate reports that drones were flying in the area of the airfield.
Passengers traveling Thursday were advised to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
Gatwick first closed Wednesday night at around 9 p.m. (2100 GMT) when drones were sighted. It reopened at around 3 a.m. (0300 GMT) Thursday morning but shut down again in 45 minutes when drones were spotted.

A body that represents British air traffic controllers says regulators have repeatedly ignored its calls for tougher measures against drones near aircraft.
The Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers says it has urged geofencing — the use of software to stop drones flying into restricted airspace — and other counter-drone measures, but its calls "have been repeatedly dismissed by regulatory bodies."
The guild says the disruption at Gatwick Airport on Thursday is unprecedented, but "such an event will continue to be a threat until appropriate measures are taken."
Hundreds of flights have been canceled and more than 100,000 travelers disrupted at the U.K.'s second-busiest airport since drones were spotted over the airfield on Wednesday evening.
Police are scouring the area for the drone operators.
Many incoming flights have been diverted to other destinations in Britain and continental Europe. The disruption is having a ripple effect on air travel as cancelations mount.

The drone sighting came near the height of the busy Christmas travel season.
Gatwick is a busy airport 27 miles south of central London.

British police say they believe the flying of drones over Gatwick Airport is a deliberate act, but there are no signs it is related to terrorism.
Flights in and out of Britain's second-busiest airport have been suspended since Wednesday evening, disrupting the journeys of tens of thousands of passengers.
Supt. Justin Burtenshaw, the airport police commander, said: "We believe this to be a deliberate act to disrupt the airport. However, there are absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror-related."
Police say the first report of a drone over the airfield was made shortly after 9 p.m. (2100GMT) Wednesday and the last sighting around 8.45am on Thursday.
Police from two forces, backed by a helicopter, are scouring he area around the airport south of London for the drone operators.

British police say they believe the flying of drones over Gatwick Airport is a deliberate act, but there are no signs it is related to terrorism.
Flights in and out of Britain's second-busiest airport have been suspended since Wednesday evening, disrupting the journeys of tens of thousands of passengers.
Supt. Justin Burtenshaw, the airport police commander, said: "We believe this to be a deliberate act to disrupt the airport. However, there are absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror-related."
Police say the first report of a drone over the airfield was made shortly after 9 p.m. (2100GMT) Wednesday and the last sighting around 8.45am on Thursday.
Police from two forces, backed by a helicopter, are scouring he area around the airport south of London for the drone operators. London's Gatwick Airport says it expects disruption caused by drones to continue throughout Thursday and into Friday.
Flights at the major airport south of central London have been suspended since Wednesday night when two drones were reported above the airfield.
The airport statement says its runway remains unavailable because of the drones. It says all airlines have been advised to cancel flights up to at least 1600 GMT (11 a.m. EST).

It says anyone planning to fly Thursday or Friday should check with their airline before going to the airport.
The airport says it is working with airlines on plans to handle the many cancellations and delays once the runway is opened.

British Prime Minister Theresa May says the government is considering "further police powers" to deal with the threat from drones to aircraft.
Tens of thousands of passengers have been disrupted in a shutdown of London's Gatwick Airport because drones were spotted over the airfield. Police are searching for the drone operators.
May says using a drone to endanger aircraft is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. She says "we are consulting on further aspects" of legal enforcement, "including further police powers."May told reporters that "I feel for all those passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted." She said the disruption "is particularly difficult for people" as it comes during the holiday season.

 

Topics: Gatwick Airport London

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More than 200 political prisoners in Venezuela launch hunger strike

Updated 3 sec ago
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More than 200 political prisoners in Venezuela launch hunger strike

Updated 3 sec ago
GUATIRE: More than 200 Venezuelan political prisoners were on hunger strike Sunday to demand their release under a new amnesty law that excludes many of them.
The inmates at the Rodeo I prison, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of capital Caracas, shouted to their loved ones as part of the protest, an AFP journalist witnessed.
“Freedom!,” “release us all!” and “Rodeo I on strike” were among the cries from the prisoners that were audible from outside the facility.
The amnesty law was approved by Venezuela’s congress on Thursday as part of a wave of reforms encouraged by the United States after it ousted and captured former president Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
The hunger strike, which began Friday night, came about after inmates complained they would not benefit from the law because it excludes cases involving the military, which are the most common ones at that facility.
“Approximately 214 people in total, including Venezuelans and foreigners, are on hunger strike,” said Yalitza Garcia, mother-in-law of a prisoner named Nahuel Agustin Gallo.
Gallo, an Argentine police officer, is accused of terrorism, another category that is excluded.
“They decided Friday to go on hunger strike because of the scope of the amnesty law, which excludes many of them,” said Shakira Ibarreto, the daughter of a policeman arrested in 2024.
On Sunday, a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the Rodeo I prison.
“This is the first time they have allowed us to approach that prison,” Filippo Gatti, the ICRC’s health coordinator for Venezuela, told family members. “It’s a first step, and I think we’re on the right track.”
Not all the inmates at the prison were joining the hunger strike, the relatives said.

- Amnesty law criticized -

The amnesty law was engineered by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez under pressure from Washington after US commandos attacked Venezuela on January 3, snatched Maduro and his wife and took them to the United States for trial on drug trafficking charges.
Opposition figures have criticized the new legislation, which appears to include carve-outs for some offenses previously used by authorities to target Maduro’s political opponents.
The law also excludes members of the security forces convicted of activities related to what the government considered terrorism.
But the amnesty extends to 11,000 political prisoners who, over nearly three decades, were paroled or placed under house arrest.
More than 1,500 political prisoners in Venezuela have already applied for amnesty under the bill, the head of the country’s legislature said Saturday.
Hundreds of others had already been released by Rodriguez’s government before the amnesty bill was approved.
On Sunday, a handful of inmates were released from Rodeo I, carrying release papers in their hands. They were greeted with applause.
“I’m out, I love you so much, my queen! I’m doing well,” Robin Colina, one of the freed prisoners, said excitedly into a mobile phone.
Armando Fusil, another released prisoner, told AFP: “Right now there are quite a few people on hunger strike because they want to get out.”
The 55-year-old police commissioner from the western state of Maracaibo said he was “arrested for no reason” in October 2024.
He said loved ones came to visit him every Friday since his arrest, taking a nearly 40-hour trip just for a little bit of face time each week.
Now, they’re coming to pick him up for good.
“We all help each other,” Fusil said about his fellow detainees. “It’s created a beautiful brotherhood.”
The NGO Foro Penal, dedicated to the defense of political prisoners, reported 23 releases on Sunday.
Maduro ruled Venezuela between March 2013 and January 2026, silencing opposition and activists under his harsh leftist rule.
Maduro and his wife are in US custody awaiting trial. Maduro, 63, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and declared that he is a prisoner of war.

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