There are fears of further flight disruptions at Dublin Airport for the busy Easter holiday period as new anti-drone technology won’t be operational for several weeks as the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) awaits regulatory approval.
Close to half a million passengers are set to pass through the airport over the bank holiday weekend, making it the busiest weekend of the year so far.
Easter Monday will be the busiest day of the five-day period, with up to 100,000 passengers flying in and out of the airport.
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Illegal drone activity at the airport has already caused multiple flight delays and diversions since the start of the year.
It is against the law to fly a drone within five kilometres of the airport and daa has condemned the recent incidents of drone activity as “reckless and illegal”.
In the first eight weeks of this year operations at Dublin Airport have been suspended on six separate occasions resulting in safety risks to aviation, diverted and delayed flights and severe disruption to passenger journeys.
The airport suffered its latest disruption on Thursday 2 March, when a drone sighting caused three flight diversions, while Dublin Airport suspended operations for around half an hour.
Several people have already appeared before the courts in relation to illegal drone activity.
Now, the daa has said it has purchased anti-drone equipment and is currently working through regulatory requirements before it can be deployed.
"We purchased the anti-drone technology a number of weeks ago and airport fire officers at Dublin Airport have been trained on how to use it," a daa spokesperson said.
"We are currently working through regulatory requirements before we are allowed to use it," daa said.
However, the daa has said it “committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment for the thousands of employees, airline staff and passengers we serve each day including the busy Easter holiday period ahead.”
Last month, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said it would be a number of weeks before the anti-drone technology can be introduced.
Speaking then on RTÉ's News at One, Minister Ryan said equipment providers are being assessed for their effectiveness.
"There are a number of different equipment providers which we are assessing and we'll make sure that we get the right equipment.
"It will take a number of weeks. It won't be instantaneous," he said.
He said his department is working with the airport and aviation authorities to see what measures can be taken in the meantime to help prevent disruption. Meanwhile, Ryanair described drone-related disruptions earlier this year as unacceptable.
"Transport Minister Eamon Ryan promised to protect passengers with anti-drone equipment, so he must now confirm that this equipment is in place and fully operational at Dublin Airport in advance of the busy Easter holidays, so that Irish passengers/visitors and their families will not suffer any more closures/disruptions due to illegal drone activity at Dublin Airport," a Ryanair spokesperson said.
Passengers departing from Dublin Airport are advised to arrive at their terminal two hours in advance of a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.
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