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Passengers flying in and out of East Midlands Airport this afternoon were hit with disruption due to reports the airport had been shut due to ‘drones’, as reported by LeicestershireLive. The airport instructed all departures ‘to refer to terminal screens’ while inbound passengers needed to refer to their airlines.
The disruption reportedly began shortly after 2pm. One holiday-maker said their flight towards Leicestershire had been re-routed to Leeds until further notice.
A passenger on a Jet2 flight says the captain on the plane announced the drones were being flown in the airspace by people attending Download Festival in nearby Donington Park, in Castle Donington.
East Midlands Airport provided a joint statement on the closure with Leicestershire Police and Download Festival.
It said: “Recent reports of drone sightings near Donington Park have resulted in some operational disruption at East Midlands Airport during the last 48 hours. This has primarily affected the night-cargo operation but a small number of passenger flights have been diverted to other airports this afternoon.
“The safe operation of the EMA aerodrome and the safety of the public at the event are a priority. Together, Leicestershire Police, festival organisers and the airport continue to work closely to monitor the situation”.
“As a result, both the festival organisers and the police have enhanced the number of patrols on site and the surrounding areas.
The public are reminded that flying a drone in proximity to an operational airport is an offence under the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and is a huge risk to public safety.
“The police will take appropriate action if necessary.”
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