Emirates diverts Delhi-Dubai flight after ‘drone activity’ at airport

Dubai international airport had faced a similar situation in 2015 and 2016 when unauthorized drones flew on its airspace.

Emirates, on Sunday, had to divert many of its flights, including the Delhi-Dubai flight at Dubai International airport due to ‘drone activity’ in the surrounding of its airspace. The unauthorized drone activity led to at least half an hour of the shutdown of Dubai International Airport. According to Gulf News, the airport was shut between 12:36 pm to 12:51 pm (2:00pm – 2:21pm IST) on Sunday.

Flight EK 433 from Brisbane and Singapore to Dubai was diverted to Dubai World Centre. Delhi to Dubai Flight EK 511 was diverted to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).

Emirates in a statement said, “The drone activity took place despite repeated warnings by concerned authorities that such individual actions are serious violations of regulations that seek to prevent unauthorized aerial activity in the vicinity of airports”.

However, the airline expressed regret to its passengers over inconvenience and said that it had provided alternative booking options and hotel accommodation to the affected passengers.

The diverted flights returned to Dubai after a few hours when the airspace reopened.

According to Gulf News, the Dubai international airport had faced a similar situation in 2015 and 2016, when unauthorized drones flew on its airspace.

A resolution was passed in 2017 imposing a fine of Dhs 20,000 ($5,445) on flying of unauthorized drones in Dubai.