London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
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Gatwick Airport said earlier it evacuated a large part of its South terminal, citing a security incident.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
LONDON – London’s Gatwick Airport, the second-busiest airport in Britain, reopened a terminal on Nov 22 after a security alert earlier in the day forced an evacuation and caused travel disruption for thousands of people.
Police sent in a bomb disposal team after a suspected prohibited item was discovered in luggage at the airport’s south terminal, 48km south of London.
“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” Gatwick said in a statement. “The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”
The incident disrupted weekend travel plans for thousands of passengers, with more than 600 flights due to land or take off on Nov 22 from Gatwick, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Thousands of passengers were seen outside the terminal and the surrounding area in videos posted online after the terminal shut for several hours.
Emergency foil blankets were distributed to some of the passengers who were waiting in the cold, social media pictures showed.
In a separate incident earlier on Nov 22, London police carried out a controlled explosion near the US embassy in south London after discovering a suspect package. REUTERS
