Hot air balloon disrupts flights in London - NDTV

London:  Flights were temporarily halted on Friday in London's second largest airport Gatwick after a hot air balloon flew into its airspace.

Planes had to wait on the tarmac after airport officials feared the balloon could cause an accident, The Sun reported.

The airport said all departures were halted for safety reasons just after 9 am when the balloon was spotted.

A spokeswoman said only five departing flights were affected by the delay while the balloon moved away.

The airport was not closed and arrival flights still landed, she said.

In another incident on Friday, a hot air balloon crashed into power lines near West Haddlesey, North Yorkshire. A pilot and nine passengers had a lucky escape.