An American bride has told of how a suspicious package at Gatwick Airport which caused widespread chaos brought her English fairytale to a terrifying end.
The UK’s second busiest airport was closed to new passengers as Sussex Police deployed its bomb disposal unit following the discovery yesterday.
The incident caused mass disruption to outbound and inbound flights with more than 50 departures and arrivals cancelled, and British Airways halting at least 30 departures to Spain, Portugal, Trinidad and Islamabad.
Chelsea, a 29-year-old bride, was attempting to fly back to New York City after her countryside wedding in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
She said that British Airways ‘insisted’ her flight was departing on time ‘until an hour after it was meant to have taken off’.
When she spoke to security to find out what was happening, she says she was told it was a ‘bomb’ and she was ‘genuinely worried for my safety’.
‘Looking around, I knew most people didn’t know,’ she said.
‘Living in NYC, and growing up in Florida, I’m no stranger to the gun violence and threats we experience in our country, but being there, and know there was an active search for other potential bombs, I just wanted to get out and be safe.’
Chelsea, a 29-year-old bride, was attempting to fly back to New York City after her countryside wedding in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Pictured: Chelsea dancing with her husband at their wedding
Chelsea was in the UK for the weekend to get married (pictured), as her husband is a Brit who works in North England
An armed police officer on the road close to Gatwick Airport yesterday
Chelsea was in the UK for the weekend to get married, as her husband is a Brit who works in North England.
‘This is definitely not how I expected to end my trip!’ she said.
‘But I’m safe and happy to have my new family close by, so I have a warm place to sleep while this has passed.’
She is looking to move to England next year, so says she has made the flight from London to New York and back ‘many times over the past couple of years’.
The bride added: ‘This has been the most worrying flight experience I’ve endured.
‘Between this bomb, the threat in NYC, and the scare outside of the American Embassy in London, I’m happy I did not end up on a flight today.’
Chelsea, who is an actor and Group Fitness instructor in NYC, was supposed to depart from Gatwick South Terminal at 3pm yesterday, flying to JFK.
But she arrived at 12:30 to find the south terminal was shut down.
She told MailOnline: ‘My mother-in-law took me to the north terminal where I stood with a security guard for about an hour and got some information from him on what was going on.
Crowds of passengers wait outside Gatwick Airport as numerous flights were delayed
Passengers stand outside Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal in the freezing cold following the security alert yesterday
Passengers and staff run for the exits at Gatwick airport as it was evacuated earlier today
‘This security guard told me personally that his colleague working baggage X-ray this morning found what appeared to be a bomb.
‘When police came and searched the package, it was positively identified to be exactly that. He told me this was confirmed, and they were searching through the entire terminal for any more that may have gotten through.
‘He was severely on edge, along with the other security at North Terminal.’
She waited nervously at the airport for an hour and a half before leaving, and checking for updates online and on apps.
But she says she didn’t receive ‘a single notification’ on her cancelled flight until 4pm.
The bride said: ‘British Airways decided to let travellers think their flights were still going to take off on time, which clearly wasn’t the case.
‘My flight was cancelled and I have been rebooked for tomorrow at 5pm from London Heathrow Airport.’
Police did not elaborate further on the nature of the discovery – but are understood not to be linking the incident to an earlier bomb scare at the US Embassy in London.
MailOnline understands the operation at Gatwick had been elevated to gold command – the highest response level.
The airport released a statement at 2.44pm which said: ‘The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police.
Passengers evacuating Gatwick Airport on Friday morning after police were called to reports of a suspected prohibited item of luggage
A departure board at St Pancras from yesterday telling travellers not to travel to Gatwick
‘The south terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.’
It added: ‘There are some delays and cancellations. Passengers should contact their airline for any updates on flights.’
Thousands of passengers were seen outside the terminal and the surrounding area in videos posted online after the terminal shut for several hours.
Emergency foil blankets were distributed to some of the passengers who were waiting in the cold, social media pictures showed.
Witnesses told MailOnline they had seen police with ‘explosive’ patches on their jackets and sniffer dogs entering the terminal.
Gatwick Airport said in an earlier statement on X: ‘A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident.
‘Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing.
‘Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.’
Police said the discovery of the package, understood to be in the security screening area of the South Terminal, necessitated the creation of a cordon for the safety of passengers and staff.
Armed police were pictured inside the airport guarding the entrance to the Departures area, which has been blocked with a large shutter.
MailOnline has approached Gatwick, the Met Police and British Airways for comment.
It came after a controlled explosion was carried out at the US Embassy in London earlier that day. No link has been established between the incidents.
Armed police directing traffic at a roundabout close to Gatwick Airport yesterday
Those who were ‘airside’ were sent to Gate 31 at the farthest possible edge of the airport for safety instead
Passengers in foil blankets stand outside Gatwick’s South Terminal on Friday after a suspect piece of baggage sparked a security alert
Witnesses said roads around the embassy were closed to traffic and armed police officers and the fire service are at the scene in Nine Elms.
A ‘loud bang’ was reported in the area shortly after a cordon was put into place.
The Met confirmed this was a ‘controlled explosion’ as part of their investigation.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said of the embassy incident: ‘We’re aware of speculation online about an incident in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Nine Elms.
‘Cordons are in place in the area as a precaution while officers investigate a suspect package.
‘We can confirm that the ‘loud bang’ reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers.
‘Enquiries are still ongoing and cordons will remain in place for the time being.’
And that followed an alleged bomb scare at Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station on Wednesday. Police were called at 1.10pm and a controlled explosion was carried out.
Train services were halted while performances at the adjacent Royal Concert Hall were cancelled and the nearby Glasgow Caledonian University was evacuated.
Three men have since been arrested in connection with the possession of offensive weapons.
People were also evacuated from the Chester bus and train station yesterday following reports of another ‘bomb scare’.
A bomb squad robot was seen trundling in to commence a controlled explosion.
