Security alert at London's Gatwick Airport resolved, say officials

Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport which is located about 30 miles south of London, said earlier it had evacuated a large part of its South terminal, citing a security incident.

London: An earlier security alert at London's Gatwick Airport involving a suspected prohibited item has now been resolved and cleared by police, the airport said on Friday.

The incident, which had caused an evacuation of a large part of its South Terminal, has led to some delays and cancellations of flights, the airport - Britain's second busiest - said on social media platform X. (

"Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20am on Friday following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage," Sussex Police said in a statement.

"As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport."

Airport authorities said on X that passengers were being kept out of the building while the incident was ongoing, while police said there was significant traffic disruption in the area and advised people to avoid it.

In a separate incident earlier on Friday, London police carried out a controlled explosion near the US embassy in south London after discovering a suspect package.