UK: Drone forces closure of Gatwick runway and diversion of many flights
A drone spotted in the sky near Gatwick airport Sunday evening prompted the closure of a runway and led to several flights being diverted to landing strips up to 80 miles away. Flights were forced to divert away from the West Sussex airport to Stansted and Southend in Essex, and to Bournemouth in Dorset, leaving some passengers stranded far from home. Four EasyJet flights were diverted during the runway closure, a spokeswoman for the airline said. British Airways was also forced to divert a plane. Drone disruption at British airports is becoming a severe problem, with 70 incidents in 2016 and 33 so far in 2017, according to the UK Airprox Board – a safety body jointly funded by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Defence. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2017-07-03/general/uk-drone-forces-closure-of-gatwick-runway-and-diversion-of-many-flights
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UK: Drone forces closure of Gatwick runway and diversion of many flights
A drone spotted in the sky near Gatwick airport Sunday evening prompted the closure of a runway and led to several flights being diverted to landing strips up to 80 miles away. Flights were forced to divert away from the West Sussex airport to Stansted and Southend in Essex, and to Bournemouth in Dorset, leaving some passengers stranded far from home. Four EasyJet flights were diverted during the runway closure, a spokeswoman for the airline said. British Airways was also forced to divert a plane. Drone disruption at British airports is becoming a severe problem, with 70 incidents in 2016 and 33 so far in 2017, according to the UK Airprox Board – a safety body jointly funded by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Defence. <br/>
