Irish Transport Ministers pledge to fight illegal drone use after disruption at Dublin Airport

FOUR further flights were diverted at Dublin Airport after more drone sightings were reported. The reports on Monday, February 6 marked the third time in four days that drones were spotted in the airport’s proximity.

Officials from the Irish Department for Transport responded to the sightings on Wednesday, February 8 describing the action as the “unacceptable disruption to passengers”. Authorities said passenger safety was their priority and that the airport has a drone detection system in place to protect passengers and staff.

Ministers also affirmed their commitment to “working closely” with the airport to tackle illegal drone use.

The flights affected on Monday were mainly domestic flights, three of them being to Shannon, with one flight to Manchester also diverted as a result of the drone sightings. Flights were also suspended for approximately 40 minutes following the sightings on Monday before resuming at approximately 7:45pm local time.

Airport regulations stipulate that it is illegal to fly drones within five kilometres of the airport due to the risk of damage to aircraft or interference with their systems.