Say That Drone Operator Seemed To Know About The 'Airport Operating Environment'

Authorities believe that an airport "insider" may have been responsible for the drone incidents which closed Gatwick Airport in December of last year. The incidents affected some 140,000 passengers during the three-day closure.

Gatwick Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe told the BBC "Panorama" program that whoever was operating the drone appeared to have knowledge of the airport operational procedures, and "seemed to be able to see what was happening on the runway ... It was clear that the drone operators had a link into what was going on at the airport."

The interview was the first given by Woodroofe since the incident occurred. Sussex Police said on the same program that the possibility of an "insider" being involved is "credible".

Woodroofe also said that the drone operator "specifically" chose an aircraft that was invisible to the DJI Aeroscope detection system that was being tested at the time.

The first drone sighting occurred at 2103 GMT on December 19. Gatwick tried on several occasions to reopen the airport and each time, the unmanned aircraft reappeared. Airport rules require the runway to be closed if a drone is sighted. The sightings finally stopped on December 21 at 0557 GMT.

The search for the perpetrator has consumed resources from multiple agencies, and there is a reward of about $65,000 for information about the culprit. But so far, the investigation has turned up no trace of person or persons responsible.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report