Madrid-Barajas airport suspends flight arrivals due to the presence of drones

The presence of drones entering airspace at Madrid-Barajas airport caused five flights to be diverted to other airports.

As reported by Spanish airport operator Aena through its social networks, today, Monday, August 29, has seen a troublesome few hours this afternoon at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport. The presence of drones entering airspace in the vicinity of the facility caused five incoming flights to be diverted to other regional airports.

Por presencia de #drones en el Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez #Madrid–#Barajas, se están produciendo desvíos y demoras. @GuardiaCivil, @enaire y @aena trabajan conjuntamente para restablecer las operaciones #SafetyFirst

— Aena (@aena) August 29, 2022

Flights arriving into the capital from around 6:30pm were subsequently temporarily redirected to the Valencia, Alicante, and Valladolid facilities.

“Diversions and delays are taking place. The Guardia Civil, Enaire, and Aena, are working together to restore operations. We are sorry for the inconvenience, but safety comes first”, Aena stressed.

It is believed the Guardia Civil attempted to shoot the offending drones out of the sky. An investigation has reportedly been launched into the incident.

Info Eurocontrol: Esperas y desvíos a aeropuertos alternativos por presencia de un dron en las inmediaciones del aeropuerto de #Madrid Barajas. Demoras por seguridad. #SafetyFirst #Trabajoenequipo pic.twitter.com/Hn2bzBmgoo

— 😉Controladores Aéreos 🇪🇸 (@controladores) August 29, 2022

At around 7:30pm, both Aena and the air traffic controllers reported that the Guardia Civil had given the go-ahead to resume operations. Flights have already resumed, apparently using a southern configuration. 

Aeropuerto operativo. La Guardia Civil ha dado el OK para reanudar operaciones, así que se retoman operaciones en configuración sur. Aún así, llevará un tiempo recobrar la normalidad en el flujo de tráfico del aeropuerto. #Trabajoenequipo #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/69GGlil4UH

— 😉Controladores Aéreos 🇪🇸 (@controladores) August 29, 2022

Finalmente, el número total de desvíos a otros aeropuertos ha sido 5:
✈️ 3 a Valencia,
✈️ 1 a Alicante y
✈️ 1 a Valladolid.
El Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez #Madrid–#Barajas tiene programadas hoy 1.058 operaciones.#SafetyFirst #drones https://t.co/L7R6iJFoSG

— Aena (@aena) August 29, 2022

The knock-on effect of the flights being diverted meant that passengers will now need to continue their journeys after being delayed. Other passengers will have been left at Madrid airport without any flights to board after the planes were diverted to Valencia. Controllers have warned that it will take a while for traffic flow at the airport to return to normal.

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