Flights at London Gatwick Airport were brought to a standstill for nearly an hour on Friday afternoon after a departing aircraft became stuck on the runway because of a technical issue. The incident disrupted arrivals and departures at the West Sussex airport and forced some incoming flights to divert.
Gatwick said the runway was closed for around 50 minutes while the affected aircraft was towed away. Operations later resumed, although some passengers continued to face delays.
Why are Gatwick Airport flights delayed today?
A Gatwick spokesperson said the closure followed a technical issue involving a departing aircraft. Flight movements were temporarily stopped until the plane could be safely removed, with the airport saying safety and security remained its top priority.
A similar Gatwick runway disruption following a British Airways technical fault in July also led to inbound flights being diverted.
Flights diverted to Stansted and Birmingham
Some aircraft scheduled to land at Gatwick were diverted while the runway was unavailable, including services sent to London Stansted and Birmingham Airport.
Arrivals were showing delays of roughly 20 minutes to as much as two hours on Friday afternoon. Several departures were also running late, including flights to major European tourist destinations.
Flightradar24 showed widespread delays
Shortly after 16:00 BST, Flightradar24 showed around 40% of Gatwick flights delayed and about 1% cancelled. The average delay at that point was just over 60 minutes.
Those figures represented a snapshot during the disruption and could change as airlines adjusted schedules after the runway reopened.
Why a short runway closure can cause longer disruption
Even a 50-minute interruption can affect flights for longer because major airports operate on tightly planned schedules. Delays can shift aircraft, crews and gates out of position, creating knock-on disruption for later services.
Travel problems can also occur before passengers reach the terminal. Recent M25 disruption affecting routes toward Gatwick and Heathrow showed why travellers should check both flight status and their journey to the airport.
What should Gatwick passengers do?
Passengers due to travel should check their individual flight before leaving for the airport. The official Gatwick live flight information page provides current arrival and departure details.
Airline apps and websites should also be checked for revised times, cancellations or rebooking information, especially while schedules continue to recover.
Gatwick runway reopens after aircraft is removed
The immediate problem was resolved after the aircraft was towed away and the runway reopened. Flights began moving again, but some services could still remain behind schedule because of the earlier disruption.
For travellers, the most reliable update is the status of their specific flight rather than the airport-wide situation alone.
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