Gatwick drone attack could’ve been an INSIDE JOB, warns airport chief
Gatwick Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe told the BBC's Panorama programme that the culprit had a 'clear' link to the airport's operations
THE Gatwick drone attack that brought Christmas misery to thousands could have been an inside job, the airport's chief has claimed.
Gatwick Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe told the BBC's Panorama programme that the culprit had a "clear" link to the airport's operations.
He said: "When you want to restart operations at the airport, there’s a set process that you go through. Vehicles check the runway, there’s radio traffic and then aircraft start to taxi.
"Every time this restart process began, the drone reappeared.
"And so it was clear that the drone operators had a link into what was going on at the airport – be that a visual link, be that a radio link or even using the internet, where much of this information is readily available.
"They seemed to be able to see what was happening on the runway."
They seemed to be able to see what was happening on the runway
Chris Woodroofe
Despite a mass hunt by cops, MI5 spooks and the Army – the drone yobs that left thousands of passengers stranded in the run up to the festive period have still not been caught.
More than 140,000 passengers saw flights delayed, diverted or cancelled at the UK’s second busiest airport.
Sussex Police meanwhile said the insider theory is "credible".
Witness reports suggested the drone was operated by someone who knew the airport layout well - taunting cops by sitting in the blind spots where it couldn't be taken down by counterdrone equipment.
The operator also knew to fly by air traffic control, where staff would be unable to film it due to a ban on mobiles.
One Whitehall source told The Times in January: "[The drone pilot] knew the blind spots for it, where it could not be ‘hit’.
"It was clearly someone with really good knowledge of Gatwick, someone who had worked there. Hypothetically it could have been a disgruntled employee."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.