Spanish airport temporarily halts flights over suspicious drone sighting
The Palma de Mallorca airport was tempoarily forced to divert flights after a reported suspicious drone sighting late on Oct. 19.
The news follows a string of similar cases across Europe in recent weeks, which have already caused air traffic disruptions in Germany, Norway, and Denmark.
"The sighting of a drone at Palma de Mallorca airport forced a temporary suspension of operations for safety reasons," said Enaire, a local air navigation provider.
The disruptions at the Palma airport, a popular holiday hub, lasted little over half an hour, with the airport resuming usual operations after a security inspection.
At least eight flights were diverted on the evening of Oct. 19 during the incident, according to flight tracking data.
Spanish law enforcement has launched an investigation to determine the origin and operator of the drone. The type of drone involved remains unclear.
Police deployed their own drone to locate the operator, but the search was unsuccessful, local media reported.
The Spanish authorities did not say whether the incident is connected to recent drone sightings across Europe, which have raised security concerns and prompted suspicions of a possible Russian involvement.
The unexplained drone sightings were preceded by Russian aircraft and drones violating NATO airspace on several occassions.
Polish forces shot down several Russian drones that entered their airspace during an attack on Ukraine in early September. Days later, a Russian drone breached Romanian territory, though Bucharest chose not to engage it.
Estonia also reported that three Russian MiG-31 briefly violated its airspace on Sept. 19.
The incidents prompted calls for a more forceful response to such incursions, including downing Russian aircraft and drones if necessary.
