Gatwick van - two men still sought after explosion
A van that sparked a major security alert at Gatwick was not linked to terrorist activity and nothing of concern was found, police say.
Haul of caterpillars seized at Gatwick Airport
Border Force officers have seized 94 kilos of dried caterpillars at Gatwick Airport.
Gatwick price hikes: The full story
Gatwick Airport today announced major investment plans but passenger fees will rise to pay for it.
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Two charged over £1m cocaine seizure at Gatwick
Two people have been charged with drug trafficking offences after ten kilos of cocaine - worth up to one million pounds, was found hidden inside cakes at Gatwick Airport.
The drugs were inside baggage seized at the South Terminal on Thursday afternoon, after the arrival of a flight from Jamaica.
The Border Force said two British nationals had been charged with attempting to import a Class A drug.
The two people charged are from the West Midlands - Sherelle Burke aged 22, of Bridge Street, Coseley and Kris Millwood, aged 29, of Beacon View Road, West Bromwich. They will appear at Croydon Magistrates Court later today.
– Ingrid Smith, of the Border Force at Gatwick"Seizures like this demonstrate how officers at Gatwick and across the country are at the forefront of the fight to keep illegal drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.
"Drug trafficking is a serious offence and those convicted face long prison sentences."
Virgin Atlantic's new Chief Executive vows to return the airline to profit
Chief executive Craig Kreeger said weak economic conditions and the Olympic Games in London, which dented demand for business travel, were factors in the airline's latest loss of £93 million for the year to February 28.
It has also suffered from high fuel costs, strong competition on transatlantic routes and taxes on UK air travel, although the figures showed it still increased revenues by 5% to £2.9 billion. It carried 5.5 million passengers in the period, an increase of 188,000 on a year earlier.
Mr Kreeger, who took over from Steve Ridgway as chief executive in February after a 27-year career at American Airlines, recently announced a staff pay freeze as part of a wider cost-cutting programme at the airline's Gatwick HQ and across the company.
Virgin hopes that its ties with US operator Delta, which acquired a 49% stake in the airline last year, will help it compete more forcefully with the British Airways-American Airlines alliance in the lucrative transatlantic market.
Today's airline loss contributed to a pre-tax deficit of £69.9 million for the wider group, which includes** **Virgin Holidays. The previous year's group loss was £80.2 million, with the airline deficit being £98.6 million in 2012.
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Dame Vivienne & Sir Richard's sartorial Virgin partnership
For the new uniforms, Vivienne Westwood wanted to create a futuristic look which references her enduring interest in 40’s French couture. The collaboration between the two leading British brands is a long-term partnership which will see a total re-design of the uniform across all areas.
Over 7,500 staff will receive new uniforms and employees based at Virgin Atlantic's West Sussex headquarters have been involved in the design process.
Passengers will get a sneak peek of the new uniforms from July 2013 when cabin crew and ground staff trial the uniform at the airports and on board. Crew will provide feedback on the design, practicality and wearability so tweaks can be made ahead of the full launch in 2014.
Gatwick alert investigation: Full report
Police are searching for two men who sparked a security alert at Gatwick Airport. Malcolm Shaw has the latest on the investigation.
Police examine CCTV after Gatwick alert
Police are studying CCTV images from across Gatwick Airport in a bid to identify two men who dumped a van in a North Terminal car park sparking a major security alert.
The blue Renault van was driven into the short stay car park on Wednesday afternoon.
When it was spotted, routine checks showed it to be unregistered, untaxed and uninsured and a call across the airport for the driver to return to the vehicle was not heeded.
As a result, police called upon an explosive ordnance disposal unit (EOD) who carried a controlled explosion.
Detective Inspector Rob McPhilemy from Gatwick CID said: "We are considering the very strong possibility that the two men who can be seen in the van on CCTV images, but not very clearly, dumped the van and then went into the airport and boarded a flight."
Gatwick van - two men still sought after explosion
A van that sparked a major security alert at Gatwick was not linked to terrorist activity and nothing of concern was found, police say.
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Search for two men after Gatwick alert
An investigation is underway to trace two men who entered a Gatwick Airport car park in an untaxed, uninsured, unregistered van and disappeared, sparking a major alert.
The occupants of the blue Renault van were seen to push up a barrier to gain access and then park the vehicle on the ground floor of the short stay North Terminal car park.
A check with the company whose name was on the van revealed that they had disposed of it six months ago - further checks showed that it was now unregistered, untaxed and uninsured.
Check-in and flights "unaffected" by alert
A Gatwick Airport spokeswoman said passengers were travelling to the South Terminal and being transferred by coach to the North Terminal where check-in and flights were unaffected by the alert.
She said: "The operation of the airport hasn't been impacted, with flights coming in and leaving unaffected. The terminal building is still open so passengers are able to come and go.
"However, if passengers are flying from the North Terminal there are slight disruptions getting there by road. People are having to come to the South Terminal and then are being coached up.
"There are no onward travel options for passengers flying in to the North Terminal, so they are having to be coached to the South Terminal to catch buses and taxis."
She added: "There is some inconvenience but we have got staff out and about giving advice, and we hope that the situation will be resolved some time soon."
Pictures of Gatwick disruption posted on Twitter
Ashleigh Carroll posted these pictures on Twitter, writing: "Just heard a loud bang at Gatwick".
Video of passengers waiting to be moved during alert
Video of passengers at the North Terminal waiting for buses. Controlled explosions have been carried out on a suspicious vehicle. Video from Matthew Squires.
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