Buzz
Recently, drones have become a significant source of concern. They intrude on privacy by monitoring households, crash unexpectedly, and have the potential to be exploited for acts of terrorism. While terrorists haven’t yet attached explosives to drones, the possibility remains a looming threat, and most governments are ill-equipped to handle such scenarios.
In recent years, hobbyists and pranksters have flown drones into airport airspace, obstructing runways and preventing planes from landing or departing. Aircraft attempting to land are often forced to circle endlessly, with some even being rerouted to alternate airports to avoid fuel shortages.
Despite efforts, drones often linger over airports for extended periods, sometimes days, causing massive disruptions, stranding thousands of travelers, and leaving authorities scrambling for solutions.
10. Heathrow Airport
In May 2017, flights at London's Heathrow Airport were rerouted due to two unidentified objects entering its airspace. There was considerable debate about the nature of these objects, with some questioning whether they were drones or something entirely different.
Several pilots reported sightings, though many were uncertain about what they observed. Most described seeing a drone or an ambiguous object. An Airbus A320 pilot mentioned spotting 'two white, orb-shaped objects with no lights or identifiable markings.'
The objects hovered motionlessly, unaffected by the windy conditions. One was positioned at 1,680 meters (5,500 ft), while the other was at 1,370 meters (4,500 ft). An aircraft came dangerously close to one of the objects, which was 500 to 800 meters (1,600–2,600 ft) away, as its small size prevented activation of the plane's collision avoidance system.
One pilot estimated the objects to be 1.5 meters (5 ft) in length, while another claimed they were 2 meters (6.6 ft). Some pilots questioned whether the objects were drones or UFOs, suggesting they might have been balloons. However, they noted the objects were too large to be ordinary helium balloons.
9. Lisbon Airport
On September 19, 2018, Lisbon Airport halted all flight operations for 11 minutes following the detection of a drone hovering above its runway at approximately 11:00 PM. During the shutdown, ten aircraft were forced to circle above the airport.
Two additional planes were rerouted to Faro Airport due to low fuel levels. These flights carried around 300 passengers each. The passengers redirected to Faro were accommodated in hotels overnight and transported to Lisbon the following day. Authorities conducted an unsuccessful search for the drone and its operator.
The September 2018 event is part of a recurring pattern of drone intrusions at Lisbon Airport dating back to 2014. Just a month prior, the airport's airspace was closed for 26 minutes, and two other drone incidents had been reported weeks earlier.
In 2014, a drone narrowly missed colliding with a Portuguese Air Force aircraft, coming within 3 meters (10 ft) of its landing gear. In a separate incident, a drone aimed a laser beam at the cockpit of an approaching plane, causing injury to the pilot's left eye. The aircraft was carrying 150 passengers at the time.
8. Gatwick Airport
From December 19 to 21, 2018, Gatwick Airport in West Sussex experienced significant disruptions as at least two drones halted all flight operations, leaving over 100,000 passengers stranded. The drones were initially sighted around 9:03 PM on December 19 and continued to appear intermittently until December 21.
While most civilian drones have limited battery life, the persistent reappearance of these drones suggested a deliberate effort to disrupt airport operations. Authorities noted that the drones appeared larger than standard models, possibly equipped with enhanced batteries. They also speculated that more than two drones might have been involved.
Approximately 120,000 passengers were stuck at the airport during the shutdown. Numerous incoming flights were rerouted to airports in cities like Amsterdam and Paris. Most airlines did not arrange accommodations for stranded passengers and advised them to stay at the airport due to the uncertainty of when flights would resume.
The disruptive drones ceased operations on December 21 after the military deployed specialized jamming equipment. The airport remained closed for 36 hours, affecting 837 scheduled flights. Of these, 160 were canceled, while the rest eventually departed with the majority of stranded passengers. Police later apprehended two individuals linked to the incident.
Notably, Gatwick Airport had faced similar drone-related disruptions before. In July 2017, the airport experienced two shutdowns in a single day. The first lasted nine minutes following a drone sighting near the airport. After resuming operations, flights were halted again for five minutes. At least five flights were diverted, while others circled the airspace, waiting for permission to land.
7. Ben Gurion Airport
In January 2018, Israel’s primary airport, Ben Gurion, was closed for ten minutes due to a drone sighting above its airspace. The drone was detected at 7:20 PM, coincidentally several hours after US Vice President Mike Pence had arrived for an official visit.
Drone intrusions have been a persistent issue at Ben Gurion Airport. A month prior, the airport was shut down for 15 minutes after a drone was observed hovering nearby. Similar incidents occurred in November 2016 and 2015. During the 2015 event, a drone came dangerously close to an airplane, forcing the pilots to alter their course.
The rise in drone activity has highlighted gaps in Israel’s national security. Initially, there was confusion among security agencies about which entity was responsible for handling drone threats. The army believed it was the police’s responsibility, as it involved civilian activity, while the police argued it fell under the army’s jurisdiction, given their role in securing airspace. Eventually, the government established an anti-drone task force led by the air force.
6. Indira Gandhi International Airport
In August 2017, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport experienced a two-hour shutdown. Runways were closed from 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM after pilots of an international flight reported spotting a drone during their landing approach.
Flight operations were halted again that evening for 40 minutes when another drone was sighted near the airport as pilots prepared to land. The drone reportedly flew toward the aircraft. Authorities reopened the airport at 7:55 PM after confirming the airspace was clear. At least four flights were rerouted to alternate airports during the disruptions.
5. Dubai International Airport
In June 2018, Dubai International Airport suspended operations for over an hour due to a civilian drone spotted in its airspace. Twenty-one flights were diverted during the closure. Similarly, in June 2016, the airport was shut down for 69 minutes after a drone sighting, leading to 22 flight diversions. This was not the only drone-related disruption at the airport that year.
Given that Dubai International Airport is the globe’s busiest hub for international travel, shutdowns create significant logistical challenges and incur substantial financial losses. The airport loses 350,000 dirhams ($95,368) per minute during a drone-related closure. In 2016 alone, drone incidents cost the airport a staggering 61 million dirhams ($16.62 million).
Drones have become such a significant issue that the General Civil Aviation Authority designated the airport as one of four no-fly zones for drones in the country. This ban followed a 2017 shutdown and was implemented just two months before the June 2018 incident.
4. Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Stockholm Bromma Airport
In August 2017, Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden was closed for an hour after a drone was detected in its airspace. Aircraft were forced to circle while awaiting landing clearance, though two planes were permitted to land due to low fuel levels.
Drone intrusions are a recurring issue at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, prompting a Swedish pilots’ union to recommend that pilots carry extra fuel when flying to the airport. Swedish law mandates that airports must shut down for at least 30 minutes or until the drone leaves the control zone.
In August 2017, Stockholm Arlanda Airport experienced four shutdowns due to drones, two of which occurred within the same week. During the same month, Stockholm Bromma Airport was also closed three times for similar reasons.
3. Auckland Airport
In March 2018, Auckland Airport in New Zealand delayed multiple flights after a drone was sighted in its vicinity. The airport reopened 30 minutes later once the drone was no longer detected. A helicopter dispatched to locate the drone failed to find it. Twenty aircraft circled above the airport during the closure, and a Tokyo-bound flight was rerouted to an Air Force base 500 kilometers (800 mi) away for refueling before returning to Auckland.
Another incident occurred in April 2018 when a suspected drone turned out to be a balloon, leading to a six-minute shutdown. The airport faced a partial closure again in August 2018 after a drone was spotted 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) away, but operations resumed quickly once the threat was deemed minimal.
2. Wellington International Airport
In November 2018, Wellington International Airport in New Zealand closed its airspace after a drone was detected hovering less than 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from its runway. The drone, positioned just 200 meters (656 ft) above the ground, was spotted by a landing aircraft at 6:32 PM.
Pilots preparing for takeoff observed the drone and reported it hovering near the airport for 23 minutes before it departed. The airport remained closed until 7:10 PM. During the shutdown, several airplanes circled above, and ten grounded flights were delayed.
1. Cork Airport
On April 20, 2017, Cork Airport in Ireland was shut down for 10 to 15 minutes after a drone was sighted in its airspace at 9:45 AM. Two aircraft circled above until the drone vanished from view.
Air traffic controllers allowed the planes to land but warned pilots to proceed cautiously, suspecting the drone might still be nearby. Following the incident, police searched the area but failed to locate the drone or its operator.
