Gatwick airport, the second-busiest in Britain, said on Wednesday it had suspended flights while it investigated reports of two drones flying over its airfield.
An increase in near collisions by unmanned aircraft and commercial jets has fuelled safety concerns in the aviation industry in recent years.
Flights due to take off remained parked on the runway, while others scheduled to land at Gatwick were diverted to other airports, according to some passengers who took to Twitter to express their annoyance over the situation.
Gatwick, on Twitter here, apologised to affected passengers, adding that safety was its “foremost priority”. The airport advised everyone flying or collecting someone from Gatwick on Wednesday or Thursday to check the status of their flight.