Aer Lingus has hit out at the lack of action to ensure illegal drone activity near Dublin Airport stops and says it is "unacceptable" as the airline calls for laws to be pushed through "as a matter of urgency".
On Tuesday, the capital’s airport brought operations to a halt after a drone was spotted flying within its airspace.
Dublin Airport took to social media to warn its passengers, and wrote: "Due to illegal drone activity in the vicinity of Dublin Airport, all flight operations are currently suspended. Further updates will follow."
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This is not the first time the airfield has had to temporarily stop planes from taking off and landing for a period of time to avoid an accident as a result of illegal drone activity.
At the beginning of February, there were three days in a row when the small flying machines entered its commercial airspace.
The daa has repeatedly reminded the public that it is illegal to fly a drone within 5km of the airport’s protected space.
According to ACI Insights, "In an airport setting, drones are a significant hazard. When a drone is sucked into a jet engine, for instance, the metal or plastic device with high-capacity batteries has the potential to cause far more damage than that created by a bird strike.
"A drone coming into contact with a fast-moving plane can damage the body of the plane or the windshield.
Speaking today, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said: "Severe disruption to airport operations by drone activity is unacceptable. It is very concerning that repeated incidents of drone activity are taking place in Dublin Airport.
"The Plan for Aviation Safety which contains actions to address the risks of drone infringements, and which has already been published, must now be progressed as a matter of urgency.
"The severe disruption imposed on passengers, airlines and other stakeholders is unacceptable and measures to address the drone issue must be now expedited in order to prevent any further recurrence of this type of disruption."
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