FLIGHTS from the UK and Ireland were stopped from landing at Malaga airport after an unidentified drone was spotted hovering over a runway on Sunday.
Services from London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cork were all rerouted after landings were suspended for 50 minutes at Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, following reports from several aircraft of a drone near runway 12 at around 9pm.
Seven flights were diverted to Seville and one to Alicante, while others – including one from Stuttgart – were forced to turn around.
READ MORE: Spanish F-18s shoot down Russian drone over Romania territory after it entered NATO airspace
In a post on X, Spanish air traffic controllers said the airport was unavailable for landings and take-offs at 9.33pm, with Guardia Civil officers ruling out any danger just two minutes later.
Landings at Malaga resumed at 9.48pm, although staff warned it would take some time for operations to return to normal.
Connecting flights also experienced ‘significant delays due to safety reasons’ during the disruption.
The incident is the latest in a series of drone-related disruptions reported across Europe in recent months.
Early on August 5, airport security at Leipzig-Halle in Germany spotted a drone that was later found to be carrying explosives.
READ MORE: Malaga Airport to get €1.5 billion expansion as AENA warns it is nearing capacity
The US accused Russia of sending the device to Leipzig-Halle Airport, one of Europe’s main air cargo hubs.
In May, air traffic at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania was temporarily suspended after a drone was spotted in the area.
The incidents come amid heightened tensions between Russia and Western nations, which have accused Moscow of carrying out repeated attacks across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Click here to read more Malaga News from The Olive Press.
