Fresh calls for more robust drone legislation after Dublin Airport disruption
There are fresh calls for more robust legislation to regulate drone use.
Fianna Fáil says current laws are not strong enough to deter people from flying the devices over airfields.
Yesterday, flights were suspended at Dublin Airport for 30 minutes after a drone was sighted by a pilot. During the suspension, three flights were diverted – two to Belfast and one to Shannon.
It follows similar incidents at Heathrow and Gatwick airports in the UK which resulted in flight cancellations and delays for thousands of passengers.
Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson Robert Troy says an incident here also has the potential to cause chaos.
"The incident yesterday at Dublin Airport identified the need for more robust legislation to be enacted to ensure that we minimise the threat of drones in and around our national, or any, airport," said Mr Troy.
"It's simply not good enough that we can have somebody operating a drone, perhaps maybe costing €50, could bring a national airport to a standstill."
Dublin Airport said yesterday that a drone has not been recovered and could return.
A full investigation into the incident has been launched and State agencies remain on alert for drone activity in the area.
