Pilots on an Aer Lingus flight reported seeing a large black drone flying off the Irish coast at the same time as UK air traffic control systems collapsed, causing worldwide disruption. More than 1,000 flights were cancelled at UK airports on Tuesday after a system issue hit Nats, which provides air traffic control services to 15 British airports.
Drone sighting details
The pilots, flying from Cornwall to Dublin, spotted the unknown drone off the coast of County Wicklow at 5:20pm on Tuesday, the Irish Times reported. The drone was flying at 6,000ft (1,828m) and was about 1.62nmi (3km) to the left of the Aer Lingus jet, according to air traffic control transmissions.
An investigation has been launched. A spokesperson for AirNav Ireland, which runs Irish airspace, said: “In line with our normal safety procedures, a safety report was filed and the sighting was reported to An Garda Síochána [police]. As this matter is now with the relevant authorities, we have no further comment at this time.”
Passenger disruption
Tens of thousands of passengers were caught up in the chaos, including Josie Donoghue who spent three hours on the runway trying to fly from Gatwick to Ireland. “Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. We were trapped in there,” she said. “We were told we couldn’t get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out. It’s just an absolute nightmare down there, it’s the only word I can use to describe it.”
Around the time of the sighting, police also issued a flight restriction notice around the Irish capital. “UAS (drone) pilots should check the Irish Aviation Authority website for restrictions on flying drones in UAS Geographical Zones and Temporary Restricted Airspaces immediately before operating a UAS,” the force said on X at 5:22pm.
Ongoing impact
Travel chaos is set to continue into Wednesday with cancellations and delays expected as airlines deal with the knock-on impacts at airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted. Nats CEO Martin Rolfe said he ‘took responsibility’ for the failures. He added: “What I absolutely take responsibility for is keeping people safe and delivering the best service we possibly can on a day like today. You will understand my focus is entirely about how we actually resolve this issue, get things back to normal, help our airlines, our airport customers and the travelling public.”
Mr Rolfe is set to be hauled before Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Wednesday before she addresses MPs in the Commons for the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill.
