Dubai airport flights temporarily delayed after drone activity

Flights at Dubai International Airport were delayed on Friday morning due to suspected drone activity, a spokesperson said.

The suspension lasted from 1013 am local time – 0613 GMT – to 1045 am.

Dubai airport, the hub for airlines Emirates and Flydubai, is the world’s busiest airport for international travelers, serving 81.4 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2018.

The issue of drones impacting commercial air traffic has taken on new urgency after reports of sightings around airports in Britain and the United States.

In January, flights from London’s Heathrow airport were halted for about an hour after a drone was sighted. Sightings also temporarily halted arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

Gatwick Airport, London’s second busiest airport, was severely disrupted by drone activity over several days in December.

Passengers at Dubai complained about Friday’s delay on social media.

“Stuck for ages at Dubai airport runway unable to taxi as unauthorized drones have entered the airspace here and all takeoffs have been grounded!” one wrote.