London airport open, but location of drone culprit up in the air

LONDON - London's Gatwick Airport operated without problems on Sunday, but the fugitive drone operators who brought incoming and outgoing flights to a standstill over multiple days remained at large and a potential threat after police cleared two local residents who were arrested as suspects.

Sussex Chief Detective Jason Tingley said on Sunday he could not rule out new drone activity at Gatwick or other UK airports. He also said it was possible that witnesses who reported sightings after the first ones aroused alarm were mistaken.

"Of course, that's a possibility. We are working with human beings saying they have seen something," Tingley said.

At the same, he said police were making progress in a three-pronged investigation: tracking "persons of interest", investigating 67 reported drone sightings, and examining a damaged drone found near Gatwick.

The drone in police hands may provide useful forensic clues, such as the DNA of people who handled it, Tingley said. But the rain the London area got on Friday and Saturday might have washed away some evidence, he said.

Airport authorities consider drones a menace because they could damage a plane in flight or be sucked into a plane's engine, causing a deadly crash.

At the airport on Sunday, flight arrival and departure boards showed fewer delays than on Saturday. Additional tracking gear at the periphery of the runway and an increased police presence were the only clear signs of the headaches experienced there in the past four days. But officials have stepped up surveillance of the surrounding airspace behind-the-scenes.

No confirmed drone incursions have taken place since then a factor that led many to assume police had found the responsible operators when they arrested the two suspects on Friday night.

That hope ended on Sunday when the couple a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman was allowed to return to their home in Crawley, a 5-minute drive from Gatwick.

Detective Tingley said he is satisfied the two were not involved. He is hoping a tip will provide a crucial lead.

The crisis at Gatwick marked the first time drones caused sustained disruption at a major airport. There is not much data on the dangers drones pose to airplanes because they are a relatively new phenomenon.

Police say the motive for the drone incursion is not yet known but they do not believe it is "terror-related".

Associated Press

(China Daily 12/25/2018 page12)