Gatwick Airport in London, that had been closed for more than two days after dozens of drone sightings, said it planned to reopen on Friday for a “limited number” for flights.
“Gatwick’s runway is currently available, and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival,” the airport said on Twitter.
It advised passengers to check the status of their flights before making a trip to the airport.
Gatwick located around 50 kilometres south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world’s busiest single-runway air hub.
Inbound flights were diverted to other airports, including Paris, while passengers waiting to take off faced debilitating delays as airlines cut services.
Easyjet, Gatwick’s biggest operator, said it had cancelled all its flights in and out of the hub on Thursday.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said overnight restrictions would be lifted at some airports to help alleviate the situation. About 10,000 passengers were affected on Wednesday night, and a further 110,000 who had been due to either take off or land at the airport on 760 flights Thursday.
Gatwick said it anticipated disruption to continue into Friday.