Gatwick drone pair released by police without charge

A pair of suspects arrested in the Gatwick Airport drone inquiry have been released without charge today.

A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from Crawley were arrested by Sussex Police yesterday on suspicion of "the criminal use of drones" near the Gatwick airfield on Wednesday and Thursday.

More than 140,000 passengers were hit by delays and cancellations to about 1,000 flights as a result of the drone activity, causing chaos at the UK's second largest airports at the height of the busy Christmas travel season.

"Both people have fully co-operated with our enquiries, and I am satisfied that they are no longer suspects in the drone incidents at Gatwick," detective chief superintendent Jason Tingley said in a statement today.

"Our inquiry continues at a pace to locate those responsible for the drone incursions, and we continue to actively follow lines of investigation."

Tingley also told broadcaster Sky News that Sussex Police had found "a damaged drone" near the airfield, and would be exploring the matter further with forensic investigation.

Gatwick's runway remained closed for more than 36 hours this week, after drones were spotted near the airfield on Wednesday night and then again on multiple occasions. 

Every time the airport tried to re-open the runway, the drones would return. No flights took off over the period, and all incoming flights were diverted to other airports. Some flights were forced to land outside the UK, including in France and the Netherlands.

More than 20 police units were on the hunt for the drone operators on Thursday night, with the army later being drafted in to use so-called drone-killer techniques utilised in modern warfare.

Gatwick Airport has offered a £50,000 reward through Crimestoppers for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the drone operators responsible for the disruption.

The airport said flights were operating as normal today, however the "knock on effect" of the investigation is still present. It urged travellers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling.