Gatwick Airport terminal evacuated and police cordon in place after 'prohibited item' in luggage causes significant disruption

Victoria Shipp

22 November 2024 at 8:23 am·1-min read

People walking in to the south terminal — -Credit: (Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

A large part of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal has been evacuated due to a security incident. Police were called to the airport on Friday morning after the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage.

To ensure the safety of the public Sussex Police have put a security cordon in place, and the south terminal has been closed. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team has been deployed to the airport. Sussex Police are being supported by officers from Surrey Police

The incident is causing significant travel disruption. Some of the roads around the South Terminal have been closed and train and bus journeys to the terminal have also been disrupted. The airport's station is not beinf served by trainlines , with trians either passing through without stopping or cancelling. The services affected are:

Gatwick Express between Brighton and London Victoria
Great Western Railway between Gatwick Airport and Reading
Southern between Portsmouth Harbour / Bognor Regis / Littlehampton / Ore / Eastbourne and London Victoria
Thameslink between Brighton and Bedford / Cambridge, between Horsham and Peterborough and also between Three Bridges and Bedford

Network Rail says that the disruption is likely to continue until 2pm.

Due to the closure of the airport, there are long delays on the M23 spur road on approach to the airport from J9.

For more updates follow along with SurreyLive’s blog here.

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