Dublin Airport was forced to close on Thursday due to the sighting of a drone above its airfield but reopened just minutes after.
The Republic of Ireland's capital's airport announced the news on Twitter, saying customers should monitor the airport's website for updates.
For safety reasons we are temporarily suspending flight operations @DublinAirport due the confirmed sighting of a drone over the airfield. Passengers should contact their airline's website for flight updates. We will post updates here when they become available.
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) February 21, 2019
Then, nearly fifteen minutes later, it announced it had reopened following the sighting.
"We apologise for any inconvenience. The safety and security of passengers is always our key priority," the airport said.
Flight operations have now resumed @DublinAirport following an earlier drone sighting. We apologise for any inconvenience. The safety and security of passengers is always our key priority.
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) February 21, 2019
At least four other airports have closed due to overhead drone activity since the end of last year.
London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports both closed due to drone activity towards the end of last year, causing chaos for those hoping to travel during the holiday period. New Jersey's Newark Airport temporarily grounded plans due to unmanned aircraft last month.
Earlier this month, Dubai's International Airport – one of the busiest in the world – saw delays due to suspected drone activity.
Dubai airport said departures were suspended for thirty minutes due to suspected drone activity.
A surge in reported drone activity has led to a boom in the counter-drone industry and forced governments to reconsider their rules for unmanned aircraft in their airspace.
Guns firing drone-catching nets, drones that disable other drones, and even lasers to identify and shoot down drones have been proposed to tackle the issue.
