This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/08/heathrow-airport-departures-suspended-after-drone-sighting

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Heathrow airport 'drone sighting' leads to brief runway closure Heathrow: police investigate after drone sighting disrupts flights
(about 2 hours later)
Heathrow airport was forced to ground departures for about an hour because of a reported drone sighting – less than three weeks after a series of similar reports at Gatwick affected about 1,000 flights. Police have opened an investigation after Heathrow airport was forced to ground departures because of a drone sighting – less than three weeks after a series of similar reports at Gatwick affected about 1,000 flights.
A spokeswoman for the UK’s busiest airport said the runway closure was undertaken as a precautionary measure shortly after 5pm, as staff worked with the Metropolitan police to investigate the report. At about 6pm, the runway had reopened. Inbound flights were not affected. The armed forces were called in to protect the UK’s busiest airport as Scotland Yard said on Tuesday evening its officers were among those who had seen the device in the air.
While the disruption at the west of London airport on Tuesday evening was less severe than that caused in the run-up to Christmas, when 140,000 people were affected by repeated closures at Gatwick, the latest incident raises further questions about the UK authorities’ preparedness to protect vital infrastructure from the devices. The Metropolitan police commander Stuart Cundy said: “We are carrying out extensive searches around the Heathrow area to identify any people who may be responsible for the operation of the drone.
The military, which helped deal with the Gatwick incident, was immediately put on standby to go to Heathrow shortly after Tuesday’s reported sighting. The parliamentary undersecretary of state for transport, Liz Sugg, was already scheduled to meet the heads of the UK’s large airports on Thursday to discuss their plans to deal with drones. “I want to be clear that the illegal operation of drones at an airfield is extremely dangerous. Under the Aviation Security Act it is an offence to endanger the safety of an aircraft. Anyone found guilty of this offence could face a life sentence.
On Monday, the government announced that police were to be handed extra powers to combat drones near airports, giving them power to land, seize and search the devices. The Home Office is due to begin testing and evaluating the use of counter-drone technology at airports and prisons. “We are deploying significant resources – both in terms of officers and equipment – to monitor the airspace around Heathrow and to quickly detect and disrupt any illegal drone activity; some of which are as a result of learning from the incidents at Gatwick.”
Cundy would not elaborate on what forces had been deployed and the Ministry of Defence said only that “specialist equipment” had been sent to Heathrow, west London, at the request of the police.
It is believed that the armed forces used the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system, which can detect and jam communications between a drone and its operator, at Gatwick in December.
A spokeswoman for Heathrow said the runway had been closed as a precautionary measure shortly after 5pm, as staff worked with the Met to investigate the report. At about 6pm, the runway had reopened. Inbound flights were not affected.
Police handed new anti-drone powers after Gatwick disruption
While the disruption at airport on Tuesday evening was less severe than that caused in the run-up to Christmas, when 140,000 people were affected by repeated closures at Gatwick, the latest incident raises further questions about the UK authorities’ preparedness to protect vital infrastructure from the devices.
Besides the military deployment, the junior transport minister Liz Sugg was due to meet the heads of the UK’s main airports on Thursday to discuss their plans to deal with drones. Preparations for the meeting began last week in the aftermath of the Gatwick disruption.
On Monday, the government announced that police were to be handed extra powers to combat drones near airports, giving them power to land, seize and search the devices. The Home Office was due to begin testing and evaluating the use of counter-drone technology at airports and prisons.
Last week, Heathrow and Gatwick said they had invested significant sums of money in military-grade anti-drone technology. While it would not offer details on exactly what equipment had been installed, Gatwick said it had purchased a system that offered a similar level of protection to that offered by the armed forces during the pre-Christmas disruption, while Heathrow was understood to have invested in similar equipment.Last week, Heathrow and Gatwick said they had invested significant sums of money in military-grade anti-drone technology. While it would not offer details on exactly what equipment had been installed, Gatwick said it had purchased a system that offered a similar level of protection to that offered by the armed forces during the pre-Christmas disruption, while Heathrow was understood to have invested in similar equipment.
Also last week, Grayling chaired a meeting of defence chiefs, the police and Home Office officials to discuss the issue. Also last week, the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, chaired a meeting of defence chiefs, the police and Home Office officials to discuss the issue.
The Liberal Democrats’ transport spokeswoman, Jenny Randerson, said the Heathrow incident meant “more travellers will be delayed due to the government’s incompetence”.
She said: “Yesterday, the government finally conceded on introducing some legislation to regulate the drone market. However, what was proposed was scant in detail and there was little sense of urgency … The government must move swiftly to pass this drone legislation with sufficient resources behind it to avoid future disruption.”
The disruption at Gatwick occurred over a three-day period in the run-up to Christmas. Sussex police faced criticism over its handling of the incident after a senior officer said there may never had been any drones.
But the head of the force later said he was “absolutely certain a drone was flying throughout the period the airport was closed”. Giles York did, however, admit that the contradictory statements had “amplified the chaos”.
York also apologised to two people who were arrested and detained for 36 hours before being released without charge.
Heathrow airportHeathrow airport
Drones (non-military)Drones (non-military)
Air transportAir transport
TransportTransport
LondonLondon
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content