FLIGHTS to and from Alicante-Elche airport were disrupted for two hours on Monday night after a drone flew over protected airspace.
The Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil are trying to locate the owner of the craft.
Airport operator Aena shut down services at 8.53pm with flights resumed at 11pm.
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Ten international arrivals from Lanzarote, Manchester, Krakow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Budapest, Amsterdam, London-Stansted and Frankfurt had to be diverted.
Seven flights were rerouted to Valencia with the rest to Murcia, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca.
The drone also resulted in delays to six outbound services including Amsterdam, Liverpool, Manchester and London-Stansted.
They were able to take off between 11.15pm and 11.30pm.
An estimated 1,000 passengers were affected by the temporary closure.
The Policia Nacional deployed its specialists from the Aerial Means Unit to the Torrellano area- next to the airport- to try to locate the drone,
Officers used the ‘AeroScope’ system, a technology capable of detecting, tracking, and neutralising unauthorized drones in restricted airspace.
There has been no information as to whether the culprit has been located.
Drone intrusion is becoming an increasing problem for airports, as just over a week, a similar incident happened at Palma de Mallorca.
The Spanish National Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), says that flying an unauthorised drone in controlled airspace constitutes a very serious offence,
It is punishable by a fine of up to €225,000.
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