{"id":17724,"date":"2019-01-17T21:10:25","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T02:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/gatwick-drone-chaos-was-foreseeable\/"},"modified":"2019-01-17T21:10:25","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T02:10:25","slug":"gatwick-drone-chaos-was-foreseeable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/?p=17724","title":{"rendered":"Gatwick drone chaos was ‘foreseeable’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gatwick drone chaos was 'foreseeable' experts says <\/p>\n

\"Waiting Image copyright PA
Image caption People were stranded at Gatwick and others due to land were redirected to different airports <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The drone sightings which disrupted about 1,000 flights to and from Gatwick Airport in December was a "not an unforeseen incident", an expert says.<\/p>\n

Prof Iain Gray, chairman of the Drones Industry Action Group, said "many commentators have been talking for some time" about the potential of disruption from drones near airports.<\/p>\n

He questioned why Gatwick had not implemented technologies faster.<\/p>\n

An airport spokesman said the incident was "malicious and unprecedented".<\/p>\n

He added: "Detection and safety protocols were in place and were effective in ensuring our absolute priority, which was the safety of our airfield and passengers during the incident on 19-21 December. <\/p>\n

"Within days Gatwick had invested several million pounds and is now equipped to the level provided by the Armed Forces during the incident." <\/p>\n

Image copyright Eddie Mitchell
Image caption Police said the drone repeatedly appeared and disappeared from view over a period of 36 hours <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About 140,000 people were disrupted during the 36 hours of chaos which saw the runways shut, briefly reopened, and shut again.<\/p>\n

Sussex Police said there had been 67 reports of drone sightings – despite an earlier "miscommunication" which cast doubt on any genuine drone activity – and the Army was called in.<\/p>\n

Two people were arrested over the attack and released without charge. No other arrests have been made.<\/p>\n

The airport offered a \u00a350,000 reward through Crimestoppers and another \u00a310,000 has been put up by the charity's chairman Lord Ashcroft to catch the culprits responsible.<\/p>\n

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Prof Gray said the airport's previous drone detection system was of a "very primitive nature" <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prof Gray, director of aerospace at Cranfield University, said: "At some point that type of incident was going to happen.<\/p>\n

"The question is why weren't people better prepared?<\/p>\n

"This was not unforeseen."<\/p>\n