How my dream wedding turned into a nightmare: American bride, 29, reveals how Gatwick ‘bomb’ scare brought her English fairytale to a terrifying end

An American bride has told how a suspicious package at Gatwick Airport, causing widespread chaos, brought her English fairytale to a terrifying end.

Britain’s second busiest airport was closed to new passengers as Sussex Police deployed their bomb disposal unit following the discovery yesterday.

The incident caused massive disruption to outbound and inbound flights, with more than 50 departures and arrivals canceled, and British Airways halted at least 30 departures to Spain, Portugal, Trinidad and Islamabad.

Chelsea, a 29-year-old bride, was trying to fly back to New York City after her country wedding in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

She said British Airways “insisted” that her flight departed on time “up to an hour after it was due to depart.”

When she spoke to security to find out what was happening, she was told it was a “bomb” and that she was “genuinely concerned for my safety.”

“When I looked around, I knew most people didn’t know,” she said.

‘I live in New York and grew up in Florida. I am no stranger to the gun violence and threats we experience in our country, but being there and knowing that there was an active search for other potential bombs, I just wanted to get out. and be safe.”

Chelsea was in Britain this weekend to get married (pictured) as her husband is a Brit working in Northern England

An armed police officer was on the road near Gatwick Airport yesterday

Chelsea was in Britain this weekend to get married as her husband is a Brit who works in Northern England.

“This is definitely not how I expected my trip to end!” she said.

“But I’m safe and happy to have my new family close by, so I have a warm place to sleep while this is over.”

She wants to move to England next year and says she has made the flight from London to New York and back ‘many times in recent years’.

The bride added: ‘This is the most worrying flying experience I have had.

“Between this bomb, the threat in New York and the terror outside the American Embassy in London, I’m glad I didn’t end up on a flight today.”

Chelsea, an actor and group fitness instructor in New York, was scheduled to depart Gatwick South Terminal at 3pm yesterday and fly to JFK.

But she arrived at 12.30pm to find the south terminal closed.

She told MailOnline: ‘My mother-in-law took me to the north terminal where I stood with a security guard for about an hour and got some information from him about what was going on.

Crowds of passengers are waiting outside Gatwick Airport as numerous flights were delayed

Passengers stand outside Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal in the freezing cold after yesterday’s security alarm

Passengers and staff rush towards the exits of Gatwick Airport, which was evacuated earlier today

‘This guard told me personally that his colleague had found something that looked like a bomb on the x-ray of work luggage this morning.

‘When the police came to search the package, it turned out to be exactly that. He told me that this had been confirmed and that they were searching the entire terminal for any more messages that may have come in.

“He was seriously tense, as were the other security at North Terminal.”

She waited nervously at the airport for an hour and a half before leaving, checking online and in apps for updates.

But she says she only received “a single notification” about her canceled flight at 4 p.m.

The bride said: ‘British Airways decided to trick travelers into thinking their flights would still depart on time, which was clearly not the case.

‘My flight has been canceled and I have been rebooked for tomorrow at 5pm from London Heathrow Airport.’

Police did not elaborate on the nature of the discovery, but are believed not to link the incident to a previous bomb threat at the US Embassy in London.

MailOnline understands the Gatwick operation has been elevated to Gold Command – the highest level of response.

The airport released a statement at 2.44pm saying: ‘The previous security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police.

Passengers evacuating Gatwick Airport on Friday morning after police were called to a report of a suspected prohibited piece of luggage

A departures sign in St Pancras yesterday tells travelers not to travel to Gatwick

“The south terminal will reopen to staff and will soon be open to passengers.”

It added: ‘There are some delays and cancellations. Passengers should contact their airline for any updates on flights.”

Thousands of passengers were seen outside the terminal and surrounding area in videos posted online after the terminal was closed for several hours.

Foil emergency blankets were handed out to some passengers waiting in the cold, photos on social media showed.

Witnesses told MailOnline they saw police with ‘explosive’ patches on their jackets and sniffer dogs entering the terminal.

Gatwick Airport said in an earlier statement on X: ‘Much of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident.

‘Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing.

“The safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.’

Police said the discovery of the package, believed to be in the South Terminal security screening area, necessitated the establishment of a cordon for the safety of passengers and staff.

Armed police were photographed at the airport guarding the entrance to the departure hall, which was closed off with a large hatch.

MailOnline has contacted Gatwick, the Met Police and British Airways for comment.

It happened after a controlled explosion was carried out at the US Embassy in London earlier that day. No connection has been made between the incidents.

Armed police directed traffic at a roundabout near Gatwick Airport yesterday

Those who were ‘airside’ were sent to Gate 31 on the furthest possible edge of the airport for safety

Passengers in foil blankets stand outside Gatwick’s South Terminal on Friday after a suspicious piece of luggage triggered a security alert

Witnesses said the roads around the embassy were closed to traffic and armed police and firefighters were on the scene in Nine Elms.

Shortly after a cordon was put in place, a ‘loud bang’ was reported in the area.

The Met confirmed this was a ‘controlled explosion’ as part of their investigation.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said of the embassy incident: ‘We are aware of online speculation surrounding an incident near the US Embassy in Nine Elms.

‘As a precaution, cordons have been placed in the area while officers investigate a suspicious package.

“We can confirm that the ‘loud bang’ reported in the area recently was a controlled explosion carried out by officers.

“The investigation is still ongoing and cordons remain in place for the time being.”

And that followed an alleged bomb threat at Glasgow’s Buchanan bus station on Wednesday. At 1.10pm the police were called and a controlled explosion took place.

Train services were halted, while performances at the adjacent Royal Concert Hall were canceled and nearby Glasgow Caledonian University was evacuated.

Three men have now been arrested in connection with the possession of offensive weapons.

People were also evacuated from Chester bus and train stations yesterday after reports of a new ‘bomb threat’.

A bomb squad robot was seen rolling in to cause a controlled explosion.