“My heart was in my hand when I saw the drone – I thought our flight would be cancelled,” said Simon. But, by midday yesterday, she had arrived at Gatwick. The experience, though, had left her bewildered. “It’s crazy that a drone could cause so much disruption and actually take flights off course.”

Crazy but predictable. For years, aviation experts, pilot groups, MPs and peers have been warning that a drone could unleash mayhem at a busy British airport. It was a question of when, not if, they said.