Ryanair is calling for anti-drone equipment to be put in place at Dublin Airport in time for the Easter holidays, after illegal drone activity has already caused chaos at the airport six times this year.
Drone sightings around the airport caused flights to be suspended, with thousands of passengers facing delays and diversions, which the budget carrier has described as "unacceptable".
Earlier this year it was reported that the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) was granted permission to install new anti-drone technology.
Now, Ryanair has called on Ireland's Transport Min. Eamon Ryan and the Dublin Airport Authority to confirm whether this equipment will be installed and operational at the airport ahead of the peak Easter holidays season.
A statement from the airline read: "It is unacceptable that flights and passengers have suffered repeated delays and diversions due to illegal drone activity at Dublin Airport on six separate days in 2023.
"Transport Min. 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 daa spokesperson said: "Dublin Airport has recently purchased additional operationally proven counter drone technology and members of the fire service at Dublin Airport have been trained in its use. We are currently working through regulatory approvals before we are allowed use it.
"Dublin Airport is 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."
It's not the first time that drones have major disruption at an airport.
Back in 2018, reports of a drone flying over Gatwick Airport caused chaos in the run-up to Christmas, with around 1,000 flights cancelled or diverted across three days of disruptions. The incident is estimated to have affected approximately 140,000 passengers.
Airports globally have looked at solutions to mitigate the risk of unauthorised drones entering flight space and causing disruption.
In March 2019, new legislation was brought in to prohibit unauthorised drones from being flown within the Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) which extends out to 5km of any airport boundary.
Those who break the rules could face a prison sentence of up to five years.
