Gatwick Airport's North Terminal was evacuated on Saturday morning after a fire alarm caused disruption and left passengers stranded and confused.
Travellers were moved out of the terminal shortly after the alarm was triggered. A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said the evacuation occurred due to a fire alarm activation in a retail unit located in the departure lounge, but confirmed there was no fire.
Stuck at #Gatwick. They are not letting us out of the security area. No announcements 🤷 pic.twitter.com/x7Z9LNDg6r
— Dominik Lipnicki (@dominikymd) March 29, 2025
Passengers expressed confusion on social media, with one traveller sharing an image of people stuck behind security, writing: "Stuck at Gatwick. They are not letting us out of the security area. No announcements."
The evacuation concluded at around 8.30am, with passengers allowed back into the terminal. Flights are set to continue as normal for the rest of the day.
Initial speculation online suggested the incident may have been caused by a passenger opening an emergency exit to vape, but Gatwick Airport has denied these claims.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: "The North Terminal was evacuated this morning following a fire alarm activation. The terminal is now back open and evacuated passengers have been processed back through security as quickly as possible."
