Filmmaker who worked with Olivia Colman and Tom Hardy is fined after delaying Gatwick Airport flight by flying his drone over restricted area

A filmmaker who worked with Olivia Colman and Tom Hardy put flights in danger after piloting a drone over Gatwick Airport.

Vassos Hadjigeorgiou told a court he was working on a film project when he flew his drone over the UK's second busiest airport.

The 43-year-old has worked for the NHS , the National Trust , and the BBC on projects involving Olivia Colman, Tom Hardy and James Frain.

Crawley Magistrates' Court heard how the filmmaker delayed at least one flight by flying his drone over a restricted area.

He was fined £365 after admitting flying his drone over the airport.

Hadjigeorgiou, of Holland Close Crawley, wore a shirt, grey jacket and tie and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Roberto Lervolino, Gatwick control centre manager told the court: 'Fortunately, due to the time of the day, only one departing flight was delayed.

'Had this drone flight appeared during peak times it would have caused serious delays, which could have run into multiple days.

'This could put extra pressure on UK border force.'

The court heard through his defence, David Forsyth, that Hadjigeorgiou was embarrassed and apologised to all those affected by his dangerous behaviour.

Deputy District Judge Clare Boichot emphasised the seriousness of the offence and said: 'It is your responsibility to make sure you fully adhere to the rules about drones this area.'

Hadjigeorgiou holds a Bachelor's degree in media and a Master's in film production from the University of Lincoln, according to his IMDB page.

More than 100 drone sightings were reported near the runway at Gatwick in 2018, forcing the airport to close for three days and grounding over 140,000 passengers.

Despite a lengthy police investigation no culprit was found, and police still believe it was a malicious attack.