Suspected drones cause disruption at Heathrow airport with flights delayed

Flights at Heathrow airport, the busiest in Europe, have been disrupted by an apparent drone sighting.

At least one arriving flight, on Swiss from Zurich, has diverted to Gatwick according to Flightradar24 data. Flight LX324 held for almost half-an-hour before the pilots decided to divert to the Sussex airport.

A user named Josh posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I’m on the flight that’s been diverted to Gatwick. Apparently some moron decided it was a good day to fly his drone over Heathrow.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Flights are continuing as normal after a brief pause to operations, following a suspected drone sighting. We will monitor the situation and work with the police and airline partners to ensure the airport remains safe to operate.”

Passengers have told The Independent via social media that their outbound planes are being delayed by an unauthorised “UAV” (unmanned aerial vehicle).

Padraig Belton posted on X: “My BA 1454 is delayed after a drone was sighted over the Heathrow departures runway.

“I could’ve finished that lounge champagne if I’d known….”

Iain Corby wrote: “Hello from my BA flight to the States similarly stuck! Our pilot’s offering kids tours of the cockpit – not a great sign!”

In recent months suspected drone activity has temporarily halted flights at a number of European airports, including Vilnius and Brussels.

In December 2018, around 1,000 flights were grounded at London Gatwick after repeated reports of a drone being flown near the runway.

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