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London’s Gatwick Airport evacuates part of South Terminal after security incident

“Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," the airport said in a statement.

Gatwick Airport is situated 30 miles south of London. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

London’s Gatwick Airport, the second busiest in the UK, evacuated a large part of its South Terminal on Friday while police investigated a suspicious item in luggage. Authorities were called to the terminal at 8:20 am after discovering a “suspected prohibited item,” Sussex Police said in a statement. The airport said that the area was being investigated and that passengers were temporarily prevented from entering the terminal.

“Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” the airport said in a statement, as quoted by news agency AP.

“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,” police said in a statement.

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“As a precaution, an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) team is being deployed to the airport.” No one will be able to enter the South Terminal until the incident is resolved, the airport said in a statement on X. “We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” the airport said.

Britain’s rail network operator said that the train station serving Gatwick has also been closed. Gatwick Airport is situated 30 miles south of London.

(With inputs from AP)

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