Madrid’s international airport was closed for over one hour on Monday due to the reported sighting of drones, authorities in Spain said. The airport manager, AENA, tweeted that 26 flights had been diverted to other airports by the time air traffic restrictions were lifted at 14.15 p.m. (1315 GMT). The Transport Ministry announced the closure of the airspace around the Adolfo Suárez-Barajas airport in Madrid after Enaire, Spain’s air navigation authority, reported the possible presence of drones in the area. Spain’s Civil Guard said an investigation had been opened after two pilots had reported seeing some drones near the airport, which is located just east of the city centre. At the end of 2018, more than 140,000 travellers were stranded or delayed after dozens of drone sightings shut down London’s Gatwick airport, Britain’s second-busiest, for parts of three consecutive days.

Source: thestar February 03, 2020 13:06 UTC