A
millionaire businessman caused hours of disruption at Heathrow airport
after flying his helicopter through its airspace when he was late for a
country manor lunch. Christopher
Kiley, who owns Welsh-based chain CK's Supermarkets, caused air traffic
control to halt international flights when he flew his helicopter two
miles into the controlled airspace.
The
62-year-old was flying from Wycombe Air Park to Cliveden House in
Buckinghamshire, a distance of just EIGHT miles - and dipped as low as
300ft, according to The Telegraph.
Kiley,
of Caswell, near Swansea, apologised to magistrates for risking a
serious incident when he undertook the 10-minute flight on April 20.
He was fined £1,700 and ordered to pay costs of £600 after the Civil Aviation Authority brought charges against him.
Alison
Slater, the CAA's prosecutor, said: “Airspace infringements, no matter
how short-lived, can cause significant disruption and the knock-on
effects could means hours of delays to thousands of people.
“Every
pilot should know and abide by the rules of the air and we expect all
pilots to plan their journeys well in advance and follow the
regulations.”
