Gatwick Airport reopens after 'confirmed sighting of a drone'
Gatwick Airport has reopened after operators were reassured that military measures now in place mean it is safe to fly despite a "confirmed sighting of a drone", a spokeswoman has said.
In a statement, Gatwick Airport said: "Flights have now resumed at Gatwick following a reported drone in the area.
"While we investigated, airfield movements were suspended. This was a precautionary measure as safety remains our main priority.
"The military measures we have in place at the airport have provided us with the reassurance necessary that it is safe to reopen our airfield."
A spokeswoman added that it was a "confirmed sighting of a drone".
'Suspected drone sighting' leads to flights grounded at Gatwick
Flights at Gatwick have been suspended again due to a "suspected drone sighting", an airport spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said: "We have currently suspended airfield operations as a precaution due to a suspected drone sighting."
The sighting occurred at around 5.10pm.
No fights are landing or taking off at Gatwick right now.
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 21, 2018
Live map: https://t.co/gDwxJWF2iq#GatwickDrones pic.twitter.com/BrL1gQmv8V
Earlier this afternoon, police in the UK had said that they believed there was more than one drone involved in an incident that grounded flights at Gatwick for 36 hours.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry, from Sussex police, said officers are working on the theory there is more than one drone, although the last sighting was at around 10pm on Thursday.
Gatwick is investigating reports of a drone sighting. As a precaution we have suspended airfield operations. More to follow.
— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) December 21, 2018
