Several inbound flights at Dublin Airport were diverted or suspended Monday evening due to drone activity in the airport’s airspace. The latest incident is the third to occur at the airport in the last three days. Flight operations at the airport were suspended for nearly an hour due to the disruption.
Hundreds of passengers reportedly ended up at airports in Belfast or Shannon following the latest incident. Irish ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair has called on Ireland’s Transport Minister to take action.
Details surrounding the incident
At around 19:00, air traffic controllers were alerted to a possible drone at Dublin Airport and quickly suspended operations, according to breakingnews.ie. Controllers advised all flights on the ground and on approach to the airport of the issue and grounded departing aircraft. Flights scheduled to land at the airport were placed in holding patterns away from the airport as officials carried out a search for the drone.
TUI Airways flight 1171 from Gran Canaria to Dublin diverted to Belfast Airport after flying in a holding pattern for a while. Ryanair flight 1739 from Valencia, Spain, also rerouted to Belfast. Another Ryanair flight also diverted. Flight 1617 from Wroclaw, Poland, to Dublin reportedly rerouted to Shannon Airport, where it was due to refuel before returning to Dublin.
The company that operates Dublin Airport, DAA, released a statement about the incident, according to the Irish Independent.
“Flight operations at Dublin Airport were once again suspended this evening (Monday) for safety reasons after a drone was spotted on the airfield,” a spokesperson said. “Following a suspension of around 40 minutes, flight operations restarted around 19:45.”
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A “huge inconvenience”
The spokesperson also mentioned the reckless and irresponsible behavior of those causing ongoing drone disruptions at the airport would not be tolerated.
“Those found responsible will face prosecution. While safety and security remain our top priorities such disruptions cause huge inconvenience to our passengers,” the spokesperson said. “Again, we would remind the public that it is illegal to fly drones within 5km of the airport.”
The airport’s drone detection system, along with input from airline pilots, ground crew, and air traffic control, provides a rigorous and robust monitoring system that allows for a safe and timely response to these incidents, enabling the airport to focus on its top priorities, which include safety, and security, according to The Irish Independent.
Taking action
Ryanair is one of the major airlines operating at Dublin Airport. The low-cost airline said the flight disruptions for the third day in a row were unacceptable and called on the country’s Transport Minister to intervene.
“With disruptions to flights to/from Dublin Airport on Friday, Saturday and now again today, Minister Ryan has stayed silent and failed to confirm what actions are being implemented to prevent further disruption to passengers,” the airline said. “We are yet again calling on Minister Ryan to confirm what action is being taken to protect the country’s main airport from repeated disruptions from illegal drone activity.”
Flight operations at the airport were also suspended Friday evening. Similarly, a number of flights were forced to divert to Belfast and Shannon Airports following alleged drone sightings. Significant disruption also occurred on Saturday.
The disruptions come as Dublin Airport has already been in the spotlight for aircraft noise complaints. Last year, a single person filed more than 23,000 complaints for excessive aircraft noise.
Sources: breakingnews.ie, The Irish Independent