‘Drone activity’ sparks chaos at Dubai airport with flights grounded and delayed

FLIGHTS have been grounded at Dubai International Airport after a drone was reportedly spotted today.

The airport - one of the busiest in the world - has seen at least one runway closed after the reports.

One disgruntled passenger tweeted this morning: "Stuck for ages at Dubai airport runway unable to taxi as unauthorized drones have entered the airspace here and all takeoffs have been grounded!

"This seems to be happening often in airports everywhere."

Another added: "Dubai airport going nowhere due to drone flying around. So thousands of people sitting in planes going nowhere. What is wrong with people flying drones near airports!!!"

A Dubai airport spokesperson confirmed flight departures had been delayed due to suspected drone activity.

The airport says it halted flights from 10:13 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Friday.

Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest airport for international travelers, serving 81.4 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2018.

Anything in the air close to aircrafts can pose a hazard risk.

GATWICK NIGHTMARE
It comes after Gatwick Airport ground to a halt before Christmas last year after reports of drones flying in airspace.

Thousands of holiday-makers saw their festive trips cancelled or delayed as authorities rushed to try to find who was controlling the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Despite a huge investigation, no one has been charged over the chaos.

Drones vary in sizes and weight, and many of them are very dangerous if they are around planes.

As of July 30, 2018, new laws came into play which ban all drones from flying above 400ft and within 0.6 miles of airport boundaries.

Drone users who flout the height and airport boundary restrictions or fly negligently could face an unlimited fine, up to five years in prison, or both.

In addition to the physical collision risks that drones pose to an aircraft, another big risk is from radio frequency interference.

If this happens, pilots can lose control of the plane, resulting in a crash.