Update 7:05 a.m. EST Dec. 23: The British couple arrested in connection with with the drone attack at Gatwick airport has been released without being charged, The Telegraph reported Sunday. Meanwhile, officials at one of the United Kingdom's busiest airports have offered a reward of more than $63,000 for information leading to the arrest of the responsible parties, the newspaper reported.
Paul Gait, 47, and Elaine Kirk, 54, were arrested Friday and detained on suspicion of disrupting civil aviation "to endanger or likely to endanger safety of operations or persons," the BBC reported.
In a statement, Sussex Detective Chief Superintendent Supt Jason Tingley said “Both people have fully cooperated with our inquiries and I am satisfied that they are no longer suspects in the drone incidents at Gatwick.”
Update 11:11 a.m. EST Dec. 22: Police have identified the couple arrested in connection with the drone attack at London's Gatwick Airport as 47-year-old Paul Gait and 54-year-old Elaine Kirk, The Telegraph reported.
The two were arrested around 10 p.m. Friday at their West Sussex home.
Gait is described as a drone enthusiast by his boss, and as a “hard-working family man” by his neighbors, according to the report.
Update 9:09 a.m. EST Dec. 22: The two people arrested in connection with drones that disrupted flights at London's Gatwick Airport have not been identified by name, but police said the 47-year-old and 54-year-old woman are from Crawley in West Sussex, according to The Guardian.
They face potential charges of disrupting services of civil avaition, the newspaper reported.
Update 2:30 a.m. EST Dec. 22: Police arrested a man and a woman in connection with the "criminal use of drones," which caused massive flight delays and rerouted flights at London's Gatwick Airport, the BBC reported Saturday.
Flights were grounded after drones were sighted Wednesday night, causing delays and cancellations that affected more than 140,000 people at one of the United Kingdom’s busiest airports.
A spokesman said the Gatwick runways would be open Saturday, with an "aim to run a full schedule" of 757 flights that will carry 124,484 passengers, The Guardian reported.
“The arrests we have made this evening are a result of our determination to keep the public safe from harm, every line of inquiry will remain open to us until we are confident that we have mitigated further threats to the safety of passengers,” police Superintendent James Collis said.
Original report: Thousands of passengers at a London airport were delayed late Wednesday when officials reported two drones flying inside the facility's perimeter fence, the BBC reported.
The incident at Gatwick Airport closed runways and affected more than 10,000 passengers. Flights at one of the United Kingdom's busiest airports were unable to take off, and incoming planes had to be diverted to other parts of the country, along with Paris and Amsterdam, the BBC reported.
At the height of the Christmas travel season, passengers were stranded inside planes for up to six hours, the Sun reported.
Airport officials said 110,000 passengers were scheduled to arrive or depart from Gatwick on 760 flights, the BBC reported.
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