Thousands of passengers are in limbo with the runway at Gatwick remaining closed on Thursday morning after reports of drones flying close to the airport.
The seemingly deliberate nature of the disruption is likely to spark fears it is a coordinated attack on Britain's second-busiest airport.
Flights in and out of the airport were suspended at about 9pm on Wednesday after two drones were sighted near the airfield.
Gatwick announced that the runway had reopened at about 3am on Thursday - but just 45 minutes later it was shut again.
The airport's chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe admitted it could take days to recover services, warning those responsible they could face five years in jail.
It could be a spotty teenager but they say it’s more sinister because it keeps appearing and disappearing from the runway. Making it impossible to detect who is operating the drone/s.