Police hunt drone pilots in unprecedented Gatwick Airport disruption

By Sheena McKenzie and Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN
Updated 1705 GMT (0105 HKT) December 20, 2018

London (CNN) — The United Kingdom's second-biggest airport has been closed for more than 19 hours in unprecedented disruption caused by drone sightings, which police have described as a "deliberate act."

London's Gatwick Airport has been closed since 9 p.m. on Wednesday -- bar a brief reprieve of 45 minutes early Thursday morning -- after drones were spotted near the airfield.

As of Thursday afternoon, police were still on the hunt for the drone operators who have brought the airport to a standstill, causing travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers just days before Christmas.

"Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears," Sussex Police Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw told the UK's Press Association.

The Ministry of Defence said Thursday evening that it had deployed specialist equipment to assist Sussex Police in their efforts.

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