Holidaymakers were evacuated from Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal on Saturday morning after a fire alarm sparked panic among passengers.
Footage posted online showed crowds filing out of the departure lounge as the alarm rang loudly in the background, with a tannoy instructing people to “evacuate the area immediately”.
One confused traveller was heard saying: “I don’t know where we’re going, but we’re going somewhere!”
Not the fire alarm going off at Gatwick airport and everyone having to evacuate pic.twitter.com/uv8l2QZkpA
— Emma Harckham (@emmatomorrow) June 1, 2025
Another passenger took to X to complain about the apparent lack of coordination: “Train your staff for fire alarms. Customers asking where to go when fire alarm went off and multiple staff had no idea???????”
The incident caused disruption for early morning travellers, many of whom were setting off on their summer holidays.
A spokesperson for London Gatwick said in a statement: “London Gatwick’s South Terminal Departure Lounge was evacuated for a short time this morning due to a fire alarm activation.
“Our dedicated Airport Fire Service swiftly attended and confirmed there was no fire.
“Passengers were allowed back into the Departure Lounge shortly after.
“Safety and security are our top priority and we resolved the situation as quickly as possible.”
