British police make two arrests after drone disrupts major airport

British police make two arrests after drone disrupts major airport
Copyright REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE
By Daniel Bellamy with Reuters
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Police have arrested a man and a woman after rogue drone operators crippled London's Gatwick Airport for three days.

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After three days of disruption flights at Britain's second biggest airport have resumed again, although passengers have been warned to expect a few more delays and cancellations as a backlog of flights is cleared.

At one of the busiest times of year Gatwick was forced to close its runway after repeated nearby sightings of drones, which it was feared could endanger flights.

Police on Friday night arrested a man and a woman whom they didn not identify, and in a tweet urged local people to help them with their investigation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the drone flights.

It's been the biggest upset to flights since an Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in 2010.

At least 120,000 passengers were affected on Wednesday and Thursday when the runway was repeatedly closed, re-opened and then closed again after repeated drone sightings.

The army was then called in to secure the airport's perimeter and nearby areas.

The airport said it aimed to run a full schedule on Saturday.

Many in Britain have been wondering how civilian drones were able to bring a major airport to a standstill as Christmas approaches.

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