Drones disrupt operations at Dubai, Warsaw airports
In this June 11, 2015 file photo, a hexacopter drone is flown during a drone demonstration at a farm in Cordova, Maryland. AP Photo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The busy Dubai International Airport closed for over an hour after a drone flew into its airspace.
The airport says the closure disrupted flights for 69 minutes on Saturday. The airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, reopened at 12:45 p.m. (0845 GMT)
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This is not the first time a drone has disrupted flights into the airport, which is the base of the long-haul carrier Emirates.
Since February, drone owners have been required to register with the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority. Authorities also ban hobbyists from putting cameras or lasers on their drones and flying in certain areas of Dubai, including airport airspace.
In Poland, authorities at Warsaw’s international airport say they had to suspend all landings briefly because of two unauthorized drones flying in the area where planes approach for landing.
The Warsaw Chopin Airport said on Twitter that the landings were suspended for 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon “because of danger to the planes.”
They said police have been informed.
Poland’s regulations forbid flying drones within a 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius from airports, but drones have been spotted on some previous occasions near Chopin airport.
