John Lewis stops selling drones following Gatwick incident

16 October 2019, 09:29

John Lewis has stopped selling drones because of the chaos they've caused at airports.
John Lewis has stopped selling drones because of the chaos they've caused at airports. Picture: PA
EJ Ward

By EJ Ward

John Lewis says it's stopped selling drones because of the disruption they've caused at airports.

Around one thousand flights were cancelled or diverted at Gatwick Airport last December following sightings of the devices, while Heathrow has also been affected.

The department store said sales were falling anyway because of growing restrictions on where drones can be used.

John Lewis buying director of electricals and home technology Laurence Mitchell said: "Following the Gatwick drone security breach in December 2018, we made the decision to stop selling drones at John Lewis & Partners this year.

"Sales were also in decline due to the growing number of restrictions around flying these devices in built-up areas across the country."

The retailer previously sold drones costing between £1,000 and £2,500.