The client
This operation involved assisting several airlines, ground handling agents and airport stakeholders at London Gatwick as over 1,000 flights were disrupted.
The challenge
Britain’s second largest airport, Gatwick, was forced to close for 36 hours following reports of multiple sightings of drones in the vicinity.
Over 140,000 passengers were affected due to the significant hazards posed by the rogue drones.
An immediate emergency transport solution was required to relocate thousands of passengers whose incoming flights had been diverted to alternative airports.
Accommodation was also required for travellers stuck at the airport, awaiting news on their cancelled flights.
The Chief Executive of Gatwick declared the incident “a sustained attack”.
The solution
With extensive experience in handling large-scale emergencies, CMAC were called upon to rapidly execute a seamless recovery and help minimise further disruption to the affected passengers.
After receiving notification of the drone incident from airport and airline stakeholders across multiple brands, CMACs 24/7/365 operational teams immediately sprang into action.
Utilising our extensive network of pre-vetted emergency transport operators, CMACs experienced disruption management teams quickly executed a plan to get the displaced passengers home.
23 flights were diverted to Luton, Stansted and Manchester, with smaller volumes diverting to Cardiff, Birmingham and Southend. CMAC deployed customer facing representatives to the airports to oversee the 2,000 journeys and provide support to passengers and suppliers.
Alongside rapid-response transport solutions, CMACs specially trained teams left no stone unturned in finding nearby accommodation for those stuck at the London Gatwick awaiting outbound flights. In cases of mass-disruption, this can be an overwhelming task as many nearby hotels are fully booked however with our experience and knowledge, we were able to source 258 rooms and provide transport to and from the airport as required.
The Civil Aviation Authority said it considered this event to be an "extraordinary circumstance" and CMAC are proud to have played a vital role in providing safe and reliable solutions for airline and airport stakeholders.
Our people seamlessly organised over 2,000 journeys and sourced 258 rooms for those affected by the Gatwick Drone Incident in December 2018.
The stats
We provided...
258
Hotel rooms
2000
Journeys
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