Anger as drone activity at Dublin Airport causes third day of disruption
A spokesperson for Ryanair urged the Irish Government to intervene.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Six flights have been diverted from Dublin Airport on a third day of disruption due to drone activity in the area.
It comes after some flights were interrupted on Friday and Saturday.
A spokesperson for daa, the operator of Dublin Airport, said flights were suspended on Monday evening for safety reasons after a drone was spotted on the airfield.
It is unacceptable that thousands of passengers have now faced a third day of disruptions due to apparent drone activity at Dublin Airport
They said the suspension lasted for around 40 minutes, with flight operations restarting at around 7.45pm.
Ryanair condemned the situation as unacceptable and urged the Irish Government to act.
A spokesperson for the airline called for Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to take immediate action to prevent further disruption.
“It is unacceptable that thousands of passengers have now faced a third day of disruptions due to apparent drone activity at Dublin Airport,” they said.
“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.
“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.”
The daa spokesperson said the six flights diverted on Monday were expected to return to Dublin Airport in the evening.
“The reckless and irresponsible behaviour of those causing ongoing drone disruptions at Dublin Airport is unacceptable,” he said.
“Those found responsible will face prosecution. While safety and security remain our top priorities such disruptions cause huge inconvenience to our passengers.
“Dublin Airport’s drone detection system, along with input from airline pilots, ground crew and air traffic control, provides a rigorous and robust monitoring system which allows for a safe and timely response to these incidents to allow us focus on our top priorities: safety and security.”