The British mangling of simple words is repelling.
Ha!
Why can’t those British speak ENGLISH??? ;)
For Pete’s sake, the word is a perfectly normal word for rappelling down a rope (especially from an aircraft), and is used in American English too - although less commonly, unless you’re a mountaineer. Why criticize them for doing something good?
I’m more interested in what will happen to the hijackers. They’ll probably just be released into the British population and put on welfare.