Gatwick airport is the second-largest airport in Britain and it came to a standstill when drones appeared above the runway. These are UAVs or unmanned aerial vehicles and are a flight safety hazard because they can damage aircraft. The authorities had to suspend flights and search for those who had disturbed the travel plans of thousands during the festive season.

The Guardian reports Sussex police arrested two persons in this connection. They were a man and a woman from Crawley but they were not involved. The police investigated, found them to be innocent and released them without charge.

Police have ruled them out of their inquiries and have begun a fresh search for those who used drones to paralyze Gatwick airport. They have offered a prize to anyone who can provide information that will bring the culprits to justice.

The drones caused a major disruption

This incident of drones stopping flights at Gatwick airport has come as a shock to airports all over the world. These devices are remote controlled machines and investigating agencies must be able to zero in on the operator's location. In this case, the police appear to be clueless. They did arrest two persons from West Sussex on suspicion of disrupting services at the airport and endangering the safety of passengers. However, they turned out to be innocent.

Det Ch Supt Jason Tingley of Sussex police has confirmed this. He has revealed that there was a damaged drone found near the airport. Forensics experts will examine it for telltale signs of those who used it to create a chaotic situation at the airport.

Apart from Sussex police, the military also entered the scene but the drones kept appearing. The culprits had outsmarted the law but lost one drone.

In the opinion of the authorities, there is no link to terrorism or involvement of any foreign power in the Gatwick incident.

Airports need to be alert to drone menace

According to BBC, there was a suspension of flights at Gatwick airport for more than 36 hours after the first sighting of the drones near the runway. The result was cancellation or diversion of nearly 1000 aircraft. This, in turn, affected travel plans of more than 140,000 passengers and airports all over the world will probably look at this as another serious matter related to the safety of aircraft. In this case, the authorities deployed unidentified military technology to regain control and resume services. This technology can cut off communications between the drone and its operator but cannot track down those who are behind the scene. Incidentally, drones can help control the US-Mexico border.
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