More Drones - London Gatwick Airport shutdown!

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Flights resume at London's Heathrow airport after suspected drone sighting

The U.K.'s busiest airport says it continues to work with police after departing flights were halted for more than an hour during an investigation into reports of a drone sighting nearby.

 

U.K.'s busiest air-traffic hub says it halted departures as 'precautionary measure'

The Associated Press · Posted: Jan 08, 2019 1:05 PM ET | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago

 

Officials at London's Heathrow Airport say flights are being allowed to take off again after departures were suspended due to a reported drone sighting.

The announcement came roughly 90 minutes after London's Metropolitan Police received a report about a drone sighting in the vicinity of the U.K.'s busiest airport on Tuesday.

Officials did not provide details about the suspension but said more information should be forthcoming.

Heathrow said in a statement: "Based on standard operating procedures, working with Air Traffic Control and the Met Police, we have resumed departures out of Heathrow following a short suspension."

The airport also said in a tweet that it was continuing to work with police. Police have not said whether the investigation confirmed a drone actually flew near the airport.

 

The reported sighting followed the pre-Christmas shutdown of London's Gatwick Airport for parts of three consecutive days — also due to reported drone sightings.

The Gatwick closure led to more than 100,000 people being stranded or delayed, making it the worst drone-related disruption at an international airport.

• 5 ways to try to counter a drone incursion

In a tweet on Tuesday, British Transport Minister Chris Grayling said the military was prepared to deploy equipment similar to that used at Gatwick if it proved necessary. British officials used sophisticated military gear to get Gatwick back in operation.

Grayling said the problem at Gatwick had been resolved by "some smart and innovative use of new technology," but he didn't provide details, citing security reasons.

The person or persons responsible for the drones that shut down Gatwick have not been located and no group has claimed responsibility.

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January 22, 2019 4:25 pm

Updated: January 22, 2019 4:29 pm

Flights to Newark Airport grounded due to drone activity: reports

By Rahul Kalvapalle National Online Journalist  Global News

 

Arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport have been temporarily halted due to drone activity above another New Jersey airport, according to local media reports.

NBC reported that two drones were spotted some 3,500 feet above Teterboro Airport, located less than 30 kilometres from Newark Liberty.

Some flights were grounded at their departure locations to reduce the backlog of incoming flights, ABC reported.

The reported sightings come on the heels of disruptions at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports in the last month due to drone sightings.