Departures from Heathrow Airport were temporarily suspended after a suspected drone was reported near Terminal 5. Outbound flights were halted at around 10.07am on September 16 as a precaution following reports of an unauthorised drone operating close to the airport. Air traffic controllers stopped departures while checks were carried out around the airfield and surrounding airspace. Loganair flight LM622 to Dundee was reported to have been the final aircraft to take off before the temporary suspension.
Flights resume after 12 minutes
The disruption lasted approximately 12 minutes, with departures authorised to resume at around 10.19am after no further threat was identified. British Airways flight BA570 to Milan was among the first aircraft reported to have departed following the reopening. Arriving aircraft were reportedly unaffected by the temporary restriction, although some departing flights experienced knock-on delays. The incident came after the suspected drone was reported in the vicinity of Terminal 5, prompting precautionary action to protect aircraft using one of the UK’s busiest airports. The circumstances surrounding the reported drone sighting remain unclear.
Originally published by UKNIP.
