Gatwick flights diverted to Stansted after 'unconfirmed drone sighting'

Two easyJet flights, one from Barcelona and another from Amsterdam, and a British Airways flight inbound from Heraklion on Crete were rerouted to Stansted instead.

However, following a “full assessment” at Gatwick, these services were allowed to continue onwards to Gatwick.

A spokesperson for Gatwick told Sky News: “Gatwick investigated a report of an unconfirmed sighting of an object outside the airport’s 5km exclusion zone today but, following a full assessment, the airport has remained fully operational throughout."

It comes after Gatwick experienced severe disruption shortly before Christmas owing to drone activity in and around the airfield.

The airport was shut for more than 30 hours and it is believed the incident affected about 140,000 passengers’ travel plans.

Heathrow airport was also forced to halt operations for around an hour in the New Year due to a suspected drone sighting.

Both airports, among others across the UK, have pledged to invest in new technology and systems to prevent drone disruption.

The government, meanwhile, has given police additional powers to tackle drone incidents, while exclusion zones around UK airports have been extended.