The Gatwick airport that was disrupted for three days in December due to drone attacks, has to bear the cost of £1.4m. The airline has to bear the brunt of the cost, while EasyJet alone has to put its compensation bill and lost revenue at £15m.
The earlier estimated costs ran into tens of millions, the most of which have to be borne by the airlines, although since the incident Gatwick airport has spent extra on anti-drone technology, an estimated amount of £4m.
Blog Source: The Guardian
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The airport was initially closed for 36 hours, followed by brief shut down on 21 December again, once multiple reports of sighting a drone or drones on the runway.
Military and police were immediately asked to diffuse the situation at Britian’s second largest airport, but no one was successful to find the perpetrator. More than 1000 flights were disrupted due to this incident, ultimately affecting 140,000 passengers at Gatwick airport.
About half of all the flights scheduled at Gatwick airport are being operated by EasyJet. Due to the flight disruptions, EasyJet has to make compensation and welfare payments to the passenger, along with the revenue last. The overall estimated cost is around £15m, according to the EasyJet Officials.
According to the chief executive of Gatwick airport, Stewart Wingate, he fully stands by the decision to shut down the airport, as the safety of the passengers is more important than everything. He claimed that some of the most sophisticated counter-drone equipment has been installed at Gatwick airport similar to those in western Europe.
He didn’t rule out the suspect that the attack might be an inside job. He further added that there are a number of potential sources and an ongoing investigation is being made, that will be made public once it is complete.
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