A drone attack at one of the Britain's busiest airports has left tens of thousands of passengers stranded before Christmas holiday, local media said Thursday.

London Gatwick's runway has been shut since Wednesday night, when two devices were seen flying over the perimeter fence.

Local police said the incident was not terror-related.

The airport said 110,000 passengers on 760 flights were due to fly on Thursday.

Police were still hunting for the drone operator after another device was reported Thursday morning.

The shutdown, which started Wednesday night, came as two drones were spotted flying over the perimeter fence and into where the runway operates from.

The runway briefly reopened at early Thursday but was closed again amid a further sighting of drones, media said.