Dec 20, 18, 5:24 am
Last edit by: Canarsie
Travelling to of from London Gatwick 21 December 2018
All LGW services operated on Friday with 2 exceptions (BA2758/0 to AMS and back; BA2938/9 EDI and back). Many flights were heavily delayed.
List of inbound BA diversions from latest closure is in post 463
Incomplete list of inbound cancellations for Friday 21 December is here in post 298.
Current customer guidelines in this post 344 (you can rebook free of charge to 5 January and reroute via LHR/LCY). Try rebooking via the App if you can, otherwise you need to telephone BA.
Background
Gatwick Airport was closed at 21:03 on Wednesday 19 December following reports of drones flying over the airfield. Sightings have continued throughout Thursday 20 December requiring the airport to remain closed. Gatwick Airport advising all passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling to the airport. Gatwick airport was further closed on Friday 21 December from 17:00 until 18:25 at which time normal operations resumed after suspected drone sightings.
Previous updates
Current list of cancelled and diverted services
Post 96 and Post 132 and Post 184
All LGW services operated on Friday with 2 exceptions (BA2758/0 to AMS and back; BA2938/9 EDI and back). Many flights were heavily delayed.
List of inbound BA diversions from latest closure is in post 463
Incomplete list of inbound cancellations for Friday 21 December is here in post 298.
Current customer guidelines in this post 344 (you can rebook free of charge to 5 January and reroute via LHR/LCY). Try rebooking via the App if you can, otherwise you need to telephone BA.
Background
Gatwick Airport was closed at 21:03 on Wednesday 19 December following reports of drones flying over the airfield. Sightings have continued throughout Thursday 20 December requiring the airport to remain closed. Gatwick Airport advising all passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling to the airport. Gatwick airport was further closed on Friday 21 December from 17:00 until 18:25 at which time normal operations resumed after suspected drone sightings.
Previous updates
Current list of cancelled and diverted services
Post 96 and Post 132 and Post 184
LGW closed due to drone activity
Dec 20, 18, 5:21 am
#151
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, Hertz pres circle, Marriott Platinum, hilton diamond
Posts: 2,532
Dec 20, 18, 5:21 am
#152
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 974
I have a friend who's in security consulting and he can't believe how its shut the place down, he says at the security shows there's huge sections devoted to anti drone technology, all sorts of electronic counter measures, parachutes designed to drop and snag them, and all sorts of other bits, he's amazed.
If they do buy equipment does Amazon Prime still deliver by drone?
Dec 20, 18, 5:25 am
#153
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,008
What a mess... Qatar 787 in biggin stack presumably waiting for LHR and EK15 (a380) incoming which I don’t imagine is going to be that easy to find a home for. Mind you I suppose that’s most of the big ones dealt with for the day!
This is gonna take days to sort out
edit: Emirates off to Birmingham
This is gonna take days to sort out
edit: Emirates off to Birmingham
Last edited by nancypants; Dec 20, 18 at 5:39 am
Dec 20, 18, 5:26 am
#154
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IC Hotels Spire, BA Gold
Posts: 8,443
So hopefully not a silly question here. If the skies around LGW are currently free from aircraft and only 1-2 helicopters up, why can't the drones be tracked by the airport radar equipment? This surely gives the range, direction and velocity of travel (not sure about the height)?
If the civil radars don't have the resolution for something as small as a drone, the military certainly have this sort of radar equipment (it is portable too) that is used to track where incoming shells are being launched from. Why can this not be used to track where these drones are landing and also where they are being launched from? It is easier to do when the immediate sky is free from everything else (apart from the helicopter(s) because there is no clutter - everything else can be considered hostile.
If the civil radars don't have the resolution for something as small as a drone, the military certainly have this sort of radar equipment (it is portable too) that is used to track where incoming shells are being launched from. Why can this not be used to track where these drones are landing and also where they are being launched from? It is easier to do when the immediate sky is free from everything else (apart from the helicopter(s) because there is no clutter - everything else can be considered hostile.
Dec 20, 18, 5:26 am
#156
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 600
Thats the one im watching!
Dec 20, 18, 5:30 am
#158
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IC Hotels Spire, BA Gold
Posts: 8,443
I have a friend who's in security consulting and he can't believe how its shut the place down, he says at the security shows there's huge sections devoted to anti drone technology, all sorts of electronic counter measures, parachutes designed to drop and snag them, and all sorts of other bits, he's amazed.
Dec 20, 18, 5:31 am
#159
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: AA EXP, PriorityClub Gold, SPG Gold, Hertz Gold fivestar
Posts: 485
Night waiver
I understand that there are normally night time restrictions from Gatwick with a quota of night time flights allowed during the year. Is this quota likely to be waived to allow things to recover once the drone issues has been resolved? Technically, how would the quota be waived?
Dec 20, 18, 5:32 am
#160
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: BAEC Gold/GGL, IHG Diamond AMB
Posts: 1,044
Well not one to go on a Daily Mail style rant but these drones and their operators need licensing or even better restrict their usage outright. The selfishness of this incident - blighting others lives and being intrusive and dangerous.
Whoever is behind this operation deserves the full force of the law applied to them and we need a rapid clampdown on these devices.
Whoever is behind this operation deserves the full force of the law applied to them and we need a rapid clampdown on these devices.
Dec 20, 18, 5:32 am
#161
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 144
So hopefully not a silly question here. If the skies around LGW are currently free from aircraft and only 1-2 helicopters up, why can't the drones be tracked by the airport radar equipment? This surely gives the range, direction and velocity of travel (not sure about the height)?
If the civil radars don't have the resolution for something as small as a drone, the military certainly have this sort of radar equipment (it is portable too) that is used to track where incoming shells are being launched from. Why can this not be used to track where these drones are landing and also where they are being launched from? It is easier to do when the immediate sky is free from everything else (apart from the helicopter(s) because there is no clutter - everything else can be considered hostile.
If the civil radars don't have the resolution for something as small as a drone, the military certainly have this sort of radar equipment (it is portable too) that is used to track where incoming shells are being launched from. Why can this not be used to track where these drones are landing and also where they are being launched from? It is easier to do when the immediate sky is free from everything else (apart from the helicopter(s) because there is no clutter - everything else can be considered hostile.
Dec 20, 18, 5:35 am
#162
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,008
I understand that there are normally night time restrictions from Gatwick with a quota of night time flights allowed during the year. Is this quota likely to be waived to allow things to recover once the drone issues has been resolved? Technically, how would the quota be waived?
Dec 20, 18, 5:37 am
#164
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IC Hotels Spire, BA Gold
Posts: 8,443
Good point, wasn't thinking about blowing them out of the sky, more about tracking where they are being launched from and landed as this may help catch the perpetrators.
