Flights out of London's Heathrow Airport suspended after drone sighting

Departures from London’s Heathrow Airport, the UK’s busiest hub, were suspended today after a drone was sighted there, according to airport officials.

A spokesperson from the airport confirmed that a drone was sighted near or within the airport, prompting the precautionary suspension of departure flights.

“We are currently responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow and are working closely with the Met Police to prevent any threat to operational safety,” the airport’s press office said in a statement. “As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause.”

No further details about the ongoing situation have been released.

This incident comes after operations at Gatwick Airport, about 30 miles southeast of Heathrow, were brought to a screeching halt amid the busy Christmas travel season because of drone sightings there.

Gatwick closed on the evening of Dec. 19 and for much of the day on both Dec. 20 and 21.

Gatwick is the country’s second busiest airport, after Heathrow, according to 2017 data from the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.