Gatwick Airport closes runway for emergency repairs

Eleven flights were diverted to other airports

The main runway at Gatwick Airport was closed for emergency repairs on Wednesday. Reuters

Gatwick, London's second busiest airport, closed for emergency repairs on Wednesday, with flights diverted.

The runway was closed for what Gatwick Airport said was a “short time” – believed to be about 20 minutes.

“The main runway was closed for a short time today due to emergency repairs,” an airport representative said.

“Eleven flights were diverted. The runway is now open and operating as normal. Safety is our top priority and we apologise to passengers for any inconvenience.”

It was not immediately clear what the emergency was. When asked, Gatwick did not elaborate.

Aaron Boyle, from Knebworth, Hertfordshire was on a flight diverted to Southend in Essex.

"[We weren't] told too much. Now landed at Southend to refuel and we hope to return to Gatwick. We were told news and we are here for an hour due to this," he said.

Three weeks ago, thousands of passengers were hit with cancellations and delays. Up to 11,000 people were affected when bad weather and staff shortages led to the cancellation of more than 70 flights.

The airport has also been dealing with a number of strikes with another – in the last outstanding dispute – planned for Friday.

Ground-handling crew who work for Red Handling will be on strike from 12.01am on Friday until 11.59pm on Monday, August 21. A second walkout is scheduled from 12.01am on Friday, August 25, until 11.59pm on Monday, August 28.

Other disputes between workers and companies at Gatwick have been resolved over the summer.