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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National

Gatwick Airport flight delays: Free train travel for London to Edinburgh passengers affected by drone chaos

Passengers trying to get from Gatwick Airport to Edinburgh are being offered free train travel instead to help them get home for Christmas.

Drone activity has seen the runway shut for hours with inbound and outbound flights stopped, leaving thousands of passengers affected.

With swathes of people seeing huge queues or being held on planes, London North Eastern Railway is providing an alternative.

A post from the rail provider said: “Has your flight between London Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh been cancelled today? If so, you can use your flight tickets to travel on our trains today for FREE.”

When the airport will be fully functional again is unclear and operational delays are expected following the incident,

In the latest statement on the incident, a Gatwick spokeswoman said: "Flights to and from Gatwick Airport remain suspended following reports of drones flying over Gatwick's airfield last night and in the early hours of this morning.

"We are advising passengers scheduled to fly from Gatwick not to travel to the airport without checking the status of their flight with their airline this morning. We apologise for the inconvenience, but the safety of all passengers and staff is our first priority."

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