Over the weekend, flights flying from Dubai International Airport (DXB) were temporarily halted on 15 February following a suspected drone sighting. The disruption at the airport lasted between 10:13 – 10:45 GST.
According to a statement released by the Dubai government following the incident, operations have returned back to normal after being disrupted due to nearby drone activity.
Additionally, the Dubai Media Office shared in a tweet “Authorities warned that flying drones without obtaining permission is subject to legal liability as per UAE laws.”
The incident marks the latest high-profile airport disruption and one of the first of 2019. Last December, flights operating at London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) were suspended after drones were sighted in the vicinity. The disruption at LGW affected more than 120,000 passengers travelling due to the peak holiday season.
As one of the busiest airports in the world, DXB’s annual traffic for 2018 surpassed 89.1 million, a one percent increase over 2017. The airport was beaten out by India, which reported the busiest destination by passenger numbers with over 12 million travellers. Saudi Arabia came in third with over 6 million travellers reported for the year.