Gatwick airport aims to run a full schedule of flights again after days of disruption from drone sightings. Two people have been arrested over the "criminal use of drones."
Image: Reuters/T. Melville
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UK police arrested a man and a woman in relation to repeated drone disturbances at Gatwick airport, authorities said on Saturday.
A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman were detained in the nearby town of Crawley late Friday over the "criminal use of drones." Some 40 sightings near the airport were made in total.
The incident grounded hundreds of flights causing travel chaos. More than 120,000 passengers were affected.
Britain's second-busiest airport reopened on Friday after being closed for 36 hours. After the arrests were announced, airport operators said they aimed to run a full schedule on Saturday. "Passengers should expect some delays and cancellations as we continue to recover our operations following three days of disruption and are advised to check with their airline before travelling to the
airport," a statement from the airport advised.
Sussex police superintendent James Collis said: "As part of our ongoing investigations into the criminal use of drones which has severely disrupted flights in and out of Gatwick Airport, Sussex Police made two arrests just after 10 p.m. on 21 December."
"Our investigations are still on-going, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics."
'Military measures'
The airport was reopened after "military measures" were put in place. Police earlier described the drones as "unusually large" and said they may have been operated deliberately in a bid to disrupt the airport at one of the busiest times of year. They said there were no indications of terrorism.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said multiple drones had been spotted about 40 times while the airport was shut down, saying the incident was "unprecedented anywhere in the world."
Flying a drone within 1 kilometer (1,100 yards) of an airport or airfield boundary in the UK was outlawed in July but aviation officials want that expanded to 5 kilometers.
aw/sms (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
French army grooms eagles to down drones
Faced with the risk of drones being used to snoop, or carry out attacks on French soil, the air force is showing its claws, training fearsome golden eagles to take out unmanned aircraft in mid-flight.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
D'Artagnan attacks the enemy
Since mid-2016, d'Artagnan has been trained to target potential aerial threats. The other trained birds at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase are called Athos, Porthos and Aramis, all characters from Alexandre Dumas', "The Three Musketeers."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
French air force is showing its claws
Some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Bordeaux, Mont-de-Marsan is one of five air bases in France that uses falconry. Usually, the birds of prey are kept to scare other birds away from the runway. This reduces the risk of accidents during takeoff or landing. But with France on high alert since January 2015, after a string of terrorist attacks, they have now been appointed drone hunters.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Mission accomplished for d'Artagnan
Within 20 seconds the raptor has the drone between its talons. It pins it to the ground and covers it with its broad wings. Police in the Netherlands were the first to come up with the idea of using raptors to catch drones, introducing bald eagles into the service in late 2015.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Meat served on a drone
Eagles are fast, reaching speeds of up to 80 km (50 miles) per hour. Hatched in captivity, the four "musketeers" were served food atop wrecked drones from the age of three weeks. This taught the birds to seize remotely piloted aircraft for food. Now, when they hear a buzzing drone, their hunting instinct kicks in. Their falconer rewards successful interceptions with a hunk of meat.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Drone hunting
The French army followed suit last year, but opted for the golden eagle. These birds are natural-born killers with hooked beaks, amber eyes and a wingspan of up to 2.2 meters (seven feet). Like all birds of prey, the golden eagle has excellent eyesight and is capable of spotting its target from two kilometers away.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Unusual prey
The golden eagle has powerful feet, that are feathered all the way to the toes and large, sharp talons to snatch up a variety of prey. This is usually rabbits, squirrels or hares. But in Mont-de Marsan they go for drones.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
The Army cares for its comrades
To prevent the birds from harming themselves, the military has designed mittens made of leather and Kevlar, an anti-blast material, to protect their talons. "I love these birds," their falconer says. "I don't want to send them to their deaths." The falconer cautions against setting "impossible" tasks for birds, such as launching them against larger drones with potentially deadly propellers.
