Gatwick terminal reopens after ‘suspicious object’ found in luggage

Security alert has now been resolved and thousands of stranded passengers will shortly be allowed back in

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Gatwick airport’s South Terminal has reopened after a suspicious object was found in luggage.
Shortly before 3pm, the airport posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police.
“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly. Trains will also start calling at Gatwick Airport once the terminal is fully reopened.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while this situation was resolved. Safety and security is always our top priority. There are some delays and cancellations, passengers should contact their airline for any updates on flights.”
It was forced to close on Friday morning after explosives experts assessed the object, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
This came hours after the Metropolitan Police carried out a “controlled explosion” at the US embassy in London using robots, but which later turned out to be a hoax device.
There is currently no suggestion the incidents were linked.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said earlier: “Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick airport at 8.20am on Friday following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with.
“As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport.
“This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible.”
The airport’s North Terminal was unaffected by the incident.
Stranded passenger Deborah Cohen said passengers don’t know whether they’ll be able to fly.
She told Sky News: “The whole building was evacuated. We were told to go outside. The staff have been incredibly helpful and calm.
“People don’t know what’s going on. You can’t get in or out of the terminal at the moment. People aren’t sure whether they can get to their flight.”
Nick Meacham, who was due to catch a connecting flight, said people were huddling together to stay warm having been out in the cold for over two hours.
“People are sitting on the ground on the cold pavement,” he told Sky News. “They’re standing close to each other trying to get warm. People are worried but spirits are still pretty high.
“There was even a rendition of Sweet Caroline by a small group of people to try and lift spirits.”
Some flights departed from the South Terminal after the evacuation, but some passengers may have been unable to board.
A British Airways flight to Cancun, Mexico, departed at 11.16am, 26 minutes behind schedule.
Several British Airways departures were delayed by at least one hour and 40 minutes, including to Orlando, USA; Funchal, Portugal; and Tenerife, Spain.
Spanish carrier Vueling ordered an inbound flight from each of Barcelona and Seville to turn around and return to their starting airports.
A Norwegian flight to Bergen departed two hours and seven minutes late.
A spokesman for Gatwick said earlier: “A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing.
“Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority.
“We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
The official account of London Gatwick airport was inundated with queries from desperate passengers wanting to know if their flight was affected.
Passengers were told the airlines they were due to fly with would “provide information and assistance” upon their arrival.
Nejadeen Braham, 35, who works as a nurse on the Isle of Man, was due to fly to her homeland of Jamaica to collect her children.
Speaking outside the South Terminal, she said: “I couldn’t get in the airport. I saw everybody coming (out) from one direction.
“I was supposed to go inside, drop my bags and go through security. When I got here I saw everybody coming down.
“There were no proper updates. I’m very frustrated.”
British Airways said in a statement it was “in contact with affected customers and giving them updates as and when we can”.
It went on: “We’re also providing them with options including flight re-bookings and hotel accommodation where necessary.
“We ask customers to check our website for the latest flight information before coming to the airport.”
Great Western Railway had earlier confirmed Gatwick airport’s train station will be closed until at least the end of the day.
In a statement on X, it said the airport had been closed “due to a security alert”.
National Rail confirmed Gatwick airport station had been shut “on police advice” and not because of passenger overcrowding.
Travellers were advised not to travel to the station by Gatwick Express.
The express rail passenger service announced it would not be running “until further notice”.
In a post on X, it said local buses and replacement coaches would also be affected and unable to run to the airport owing to local road closures.
Meanwhile, the US embassy has announced it is now “back to normal business operations” after the destruction of the “suspect package”.
It was found and destroyed in a controlled explosion outside but was a “hoax device”, police have revealed.
The Met said the emergency services response would now be stood down with an investigation set to take place.
In a statement posted on X, it said: “Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow.
“Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down.”
In its own social media post, the embassy said: “The US embassy is back to normal business operations, with the exception that all public appointments (visa appointments, passport appointments, and other American Citizen services) for 22 November have been cancelled.
“Applicants will be contacted via email to reschedule.
“Local authorities investigated and cleared a suspicious package outside the embassy.”
It thanked the Met Police for its “swift action” and visitors for “cooperation and patience” throughout.
Nine Elms Lane was cordoned off while dozens of police and fire officers locked down the embassy before a robotic device detonated the package.
Police said the package was found “near” the embassy before alarms were raised.
Police conducted a sweep of the area with sniffer dogs, amid fears there could be another package.
It remains unclear what was found in the first package or whether it was detonated out of caution.