Gatwick: runway closed for 50 minutes following the aborted take-off of a flight to New York

The incident has had an impact on the airport’s operations, as it effectively has only one runway available for simultaneous use. Gatwick’s two runways are, in fact, too close together to allow for their simultaneous use.

The temporary closure of the runway has caused a knock-on effect on airport traffic. According to data from Flightradar24, over 330 flights have been affected by delays, with an average delay of around 57 minutes.

The disruption affected both departures and arrivals. Some aircraft bound for Gatwick were forced to change their destination and were diverted to other UK airports.

Stansted Airport, north of London, is also among the alternative destinations, a situation which has caused further disruption for passengers.

On social media, some travellers have voiced their frustration at the consequences of the diversions, complaining in particular about the waiting times on board the aircraft once they have landed at airports other than those originally scheduled.

With the runway back in operation, the airport has begun gradually clearing the backlog of flights that built up during the closure. However, the knock-on effect on the flight schedule could last for several hours, leading to numerous cancellations, such as the easyJet flight to Zurich. Passengers have been accommodated at the airport hotel whilst they await their flight tomorrow morning.

Passengers departing from or arriving at Gatwick are therefore advised to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before travelling to the airport.

Although this incident was linked to a single technical fault, it once again highlights Gatwick’s particular operational vulnerability: the use of a single runway leaves the airport more exposed to knock-on effects when operations are disrupted.