Heathrow departures paused briefly after drone sighting near Terminal 5
Departures at London Heathrow were halted for about 12 minutes on Tuesday morning after a suspected drone was reported near Terminal 5. Arrivals were not affected and operations resumed after a sweep of the area.
Departures at London Heathrow Airport stopped for about 12 minutes on Tuesday morning after a suspected drone sighting near Terminal 5, the airport said.
Takeoffs halted at 10:07 BST following reports of an unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicle in the area. Air traffic control suspended departures as a precaution while the airfield was checked.
The last aircraft cleared to depart before the grounding was Loganair flight LM622 to Dundee, which left from runway 27R.
Airport authorities and local police swept the affected airspace. No further threat was found, and operations resumed at 10:19 BST with the departure of British Airways flight BA570 to Milan.
The suspension was brief but caused minor knock-on delays for morning departures. Arrivals continued without interruption, and the airport said normal operations were restored across all runways. Police said they are continuing to monitor the area around the airfield perimeter.
Sources
- airlive.netAll departure operations halted at London Heathrow following drone sighting over Terminal 5