Gatwick security scare halts flights for tens of thousands

Tens of thousands of passengers will wake up today where they did not intend to be after a security scare forced the evacuation of a large part of London’s Gatwick airport yesterday.

- SIMON CALDER

At 8.20am yesterday, staff at the South Terminal discovered a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s cabin baggage. By 10.55am, police had ordered a security cordon and the evacuation of the building and adjacent railway station.

At the world’s busiest single-runway airport, plans began to unravel immediately for many who were due to take off. Those who had already checked in and passed through security were able to remain “airside”, and many flights departed with fewer passengers than planned.

But other passengers were ordered to leave the building. Some sought shelter from bitterly cold weather in car parks while others walked to the North Terminal – about 15 minutes away.