Drone activity at Dublin Airport temporarily halts flights

Flights to and from Dublin Airport were suspended for a short period on Friday evening as a result of illegal drone activity in the area.

A spokesman for DAA, the authority that runs the airport, told The Irish Times that there had been a confirmed drone sighting on the airfield and said it had no option but to ground all flights that had been due to depart, and to delay inbound planes.

“Flight operations at Dublin Airport were suspended for safety reasons for a very short period this evening following a confirmed drone sighting on the airfield,” it said in a statement.

The drone was spotted shortly before 7pm with the all-clear given approximately 25 minutes later. Flights from the UK and Spain had to be diverted to Shannon while others were put in a holding pattern for the duration of the incident.

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“It is illegal to fly drones within five kilometres of an airport in the State,” the daa said. The safety and security of airport users is DAA’s key priority at all times and staff at Dublin Airport and An Garda Síochana remain vigilant in relation to drone activity in the vicinity of the airport.”

It is the second time in just over a week that operations at the airport have been suspended as a result of illegal drone activity.

Operations were suspended in line with protocols on Wednesday, January 25th, for a period of around 20 minutes as a result of a drone sighting at the airfield.

In 2015, Ireland became one of the first countries in Europe to legislate for drone use with the law intended to specifically addresses the safety challenges posed by drones.

Under the legislation, a drone cannot operate within five kilometres of an aerodrome or airport. It cannot be used over the heads of an assembly of people, over urban areas or in restricted areas such as military installations or prisons.

A drone is not allowed to fly higher than 120 metres or more than 300 metres from its operator.