Drone sighting halts flights at London’s Heathrow Airport

London’s Heathrow Airport suspended all departing flights following a drone sighting, three weeks after a similar incident at Gatwick.

London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest hub, suspended all departing flights for about an hour following a drone sighting, just three weeks after a similar incident at Gatwick caused havoc.

A spokeswoman told AFP that flights at the airport, which handles 213,668 passengers a day, had resumed following the interruption.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called at about 1705 GMT (4.05am AEST) and alerted to “reports of a sighting of a drone in the vicinity of Heathrow Airport”.

We are responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow and are working closely with the Met Police to prevent any threat to operational safety. As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause.

— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) January 8, 2019

At approx 17:05hrs today we received reports of a sighting of a #drone in the vicinity of Heathrow airport. As a precautionary measure, @HeathrowAirport has stopped departures and officers based at Heathrow are currently investigating the reports with colleagues from airport

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 8, 2019

A statement on the airport’s Twitter account earlier said: “We are responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow and are working closely with the Met Police to prevent any threat to operational safety.

“As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause,” it said.

Arriving planes, however, continued to land at Heathrow.

We continue to work with the Met Police on reports of drones at Heathrow. We are working with Air Traffic Control and the Met Police, and have resumed departures out of Heathrow after a short suspension. We will continue to monitor this and apologise to anyone that were affected.

— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) January 8, 2019

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said “the military are preparing to deploy the equipment used at Gatwick at Heathrow quickly should it prove necessary”.

Some 81 airlines serving 204 destinations operate out of Heathrow, located west of London.

Between December 19 and 21 drone sightings at Gatwick, Britain’s second biggest hub, caused travel misery for tens of thousands of people after flights were suspended.

An aerial view of a terminal at the London Heathrow international airport. Picture: Getty

That disruption came at a particularly busy time in the run-up to Christmas. It raised questions about the security of airports as well as the competence of police in charge after a couple were arrested and released without charge.

The British army had to be deployed to the airport on December 20 after it grounded all flights.

Chris Grayling: “We are in contact with @HeathrowAirport concerning the drone sighting. I have already spoken to both the Home Secretary and Defence Secretary and the military are preparing to deploy the equipment used at Gatwick at Heathrow quickly should it prove necessary.”

— Dept for Transport (@transportgovuk) January 8, 2019

Gatwick has since said it has invested in anti-drone technology, while Heathrow said that it would do so.

In response to the chaos at Gatwick, Grayling on Monday told parliament that drone exclusion zones around British airports were being extended and operators would have to register.

Police will also be allowed to fine users up to £100 ($A178) for failing to comply when instructed to land a drone, or not showing registration to operate a drone.

Grayling said the disruption at Gatwick between December 19 and 21 was “deliberate, irresponsible and calculated, as well as illegal”.

The exclusion zone around airports is currently one kilometre (half a mile) and this will be extended to five kilometres.

From November 30 this year, operators of drones weighing between 250g and 20kg will also have to register and take an online pilot competency test.