Dublin Airport: Flights diverted after suspected drone spotted near runway

Significant disruption erupted at Dublin Airport tonight after a drone was sighted at the airfield.

The spokesman for the airport authority, daa, confirmed that flights had to be suspended for almost 10 minutes.

Numerous flights to and from the facility were delayed as a result and four services due to land in Dublin had to be diverted to Belfast and Shannon.

The diverted flights are:

• 19:00: Ryanair flight FR113 from London Gatwick, diverted to Shannon.
• 19:15 Ryanair flight FR7763 from Alicante, diverted to Shannon.
• 19:20 Ryanair flight FR5150 from Glasgow, diverted to Shannon.
• 19:25 Ryanair flight FR7055 from Malaga, diverted to Belfast.

“Flight operations at Dublin Airport have been suspended for a very short period of time (less than 10 minutes) this evening (Friday) following a confirmed drone sighting due to safety concerns. The safety of airport users is at all times daa’s top priority, and Dublin Airport staff and An Garda Síochana remain vigilant regarding drone activity near the airport,” a daa spokesman said.

It comes as Dublin Airport has warned of high demand for parking as more than 300,000 passengers are due to transit through the airport from St Brigid over the bank holiday weekend.

It has advised passengers departing on the first public holiday of the year to prepare for security screening in advance and arrive at the airport early.

Passengers departing from Dublin Airport in the coming days are being reminded to arrive at their terminal two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.

An additional time of up to one hour is recommended for passengers checking baggage at the airport.

Around 160,000 people will depart from Dublin Airport in the five days between Friday and Monday, with around 150,000 expected to arrive.

The airport has also advised passengers to consider public transport or a taxi to get to and from the airport, as parking spaces in the red lot are already sold out.