Dublin Airport flights hit by drone sighting

A confirmed drone sighting forced the temporary suspension of operations at Dublin Airport, officials have said.

At around 11.50am on Thursday the airport announced that flights were being grounded to ensure the safety and security of passengers.

Within 15 minutes operations had resumed.

The airport apologised for the inconvenience to passengers.

“Flight operations have now resumed @DublinAirport following an earlier drone sighting,” the airport tweeted.

“We apologise for any inconvenience. The safety and security of passengers is always our key priority.”

Announcing the decision to suspend operations, the airport earlier said there had been a “confirmed sighting of a drone over the airfield”.

Before Christmas, drone sightings caused travel chaos at Gatwick Airport, near London.

Aircraft were grounded over three days, with 1,000 flights cancelled and 140,000 passengers affected.

Aer Lingus said passengers using Dublin Airport may experience delays.

“Flights have resumed at Dublin Airport following a brief closure due to a drone sighting,” the Irish airline tweeted.

“Some delays may be experienced today as a result, but we’ll be doing everything possible to minimise these.”